The Escape of Lady Luck
by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Summary: Sirius drags Harry for a vacation at a casino resort but the two find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy far more lethal than what they had bargained for. In the midst of it all, Harry's romantic entanglements only serves to complicate matters.
1. Thursday

**The Escape of Lady Luck – Chapter One: Thursday**

"Oh Mr. Black, what muscular shoulders you have. Would you like a massage to ease any tension you may have?" asked a very attractive flight attendant.

Turning his head slightly, Sirius Black appraised the alluring brunette, studying her buxom chest and long sensuous legs, mentally remembering her name from her nametag, before he finally met her eye and responded, "Why yes, I'm sure your delightful touch would do wonders to relieve my tension, Miss Rachel."

Giggling conspiratorially, Miss Rachel began her massage, slowly rubbing her dainty hands around a seriously happy Sirius.

"Appreciate the hospitality so far, Harry?" Sirius winked at his 24 year-old godson. "You better be enjoying this vacation I set up for you."

Silently closing the novel he had been reading, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Harry twisted his head up and gave Sirius an irritated glare before replying, "In your terms, 'enjoying', means having ladies swarming all over you. All I'm looking for is some peace and relaxation after my graduation from Auror Academy."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Reading a book was not his definition of relaxation. The whole reason for setting up this vacation had been to get Harry to lighten up and he was not about to let his efforts go to waste. "Oh I get it now. You don't have the charm and charisma to attract _les femmes_," teased Sirius, waving his hands in a flourishing manner. "Don't tell me you bat for the other team now."

"Sirius!" Harry felt affronted beyond reason. Having his godfather think him to be a homosexual was the last thing he wanted because he knew that the old man would never let up once he had some blackmail material. "I'll have you know I have gone all the way with a couple of witches before."

Harry looked once more at Sirius's face and at seeing the arched eyebrows, he blushed. "Damn bitches just had to have the press go to their heads and tell Witch Weekly about our late night escapades," he finished tragically.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah I remember that," he said, "I can't believe they dubbed you 'Lord Funkemort'. Still, I think you've lost your touch when it comes to the fine art of attracting the female flesh."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Is that a challenge, old man?"

"That's up to you to decide, Prongslet," Sirius retorted coolly.

"Fine, you old dog. Watch me utilize the famous Potter touch," Harry responded before standing up from his seat and stretching.

"Back your words with action, young grasshopper. After all, I've almost twenty years of womanizing experience compared to your two years of banging negative A-cup birds."

Ignoring Sirius, Harry searched around and caught the eye of an enticing blonde attendant. He beckoned for her assistance.

"How may I help you sir?" asked the attendant.

Harry paused to look at her nametag and in that time, he could see her eyeing him up and down in what she probably thought was a subtle manner. Harry rolled his eyes and interrupted her entertainment. "Miss Casey, would you mind getting me a bottle of vintage 1958 Bordeaux red wine please?"

She flushed at having been caught. "O - of course, sir! I'll be back with your wine soon," stammered Miss Casey.

"Bring back two wine glasses please," Harry requested suggestively, giving her a wink to cement his implication.

After noticing her biting her lower lip nervously as she walked away, Harry looked at Sirius and gave a sly smirk. "And that's how it's done, old-timer. She'll be mine for the rest of the flight."

"I'll give you a nine on execution," consented Sirius sourly, "However, you only get a six for intent. She probably just thought you wanted to drink with her, not to get some-"

"Shut up! She's coming back," interjected Harry. When Casey approached him, Harry could smell her perfume, which he had not been able to before. Harry glanced quickly at Sirius, who was watching him intently, and then took the wine and glasses from her.

Sitting down, Harry set up the drinks and commented, "Why Miss Casey, I would hate to selfishly enjoy this fine drink without an equally fine companion. Would you care to join me?"

Harry could see the conflict in her eyes. She obviously wanted to oblige to his request but had second thoughts about neglecting her duties as a flight attendant. "Uhhh, I guess one glass would be alright, sir. I wouldn't want to neglect my responsibilities," she responded hesitantly.

"Oh, I perfectly understand, Miss Casey. I would hate to be responsible for any negligence that you may be accused of. Please, have a seat," Harry soothed, pointing to a seat intimately close to him.

She quietly sat down where he had offered, very conscious of the fact that their hips were literally joined. An awkward silence settled over the area as they both sipped their wines, fetching for a topic to broach.

Harry glanced at Sirius. Upon seeing Harry's attention, Sirius raised right eyebrow in inquiry and exaggerated a silent yawn. The younger man hastily looked away and looked into the eyes of his blonde companion who sat watching his face, as if memorizing his structure. He cleared his throat loudly and broke her concentration.

"So… uh, what university do you hail from?" Harry asked.

Broken out of her reverie, she took a moment to compose herself before responding. "Oh, I – um, I actually attended this boarding school, you see. It – it was really nice. The school's name is Beauxbatons."

Harry saw Sirius coughing from the corner of his eye and struggled to hide his own surprise. "Really? Tell me more."

After some small talk about her job and her life, Harry decided enough was enough when Sirius began attempting to distract the duo from their conversation. He moved in closer until his face was inches from hers and sensually whispered, "Now that I know all about your life, why don't I tell you all about mine?"

Feeling Harry's warm breath so close to her face, Miss Casey couldn't help but shiver. A fierce battle between her duties and her lust occurred inside her brain, creating a huge inner dilemma.

Seeing that she was being very reluctant, Harry decided to raise the heat. He latched his right hand onto the side of her face and carefully caressed her cheek. Making eye contact, all Harry detected in Miss Casey's eyes was barely restrained, unadulterated lust, but most importantly, a burning desire for him to claim her luscious ruby-red lips.

Slowly moving his face towards the sexy woman until their lips were almost touching, Harry decided to wait until she was at the brink of her patience. He wanted her to make the first move.

Surely enough, the floodgates crashed open and lust invaded her mind as she mashed her lips to Harry's, hungrily claiming those lips. Making her way smoothly into Harry's lap, she threw her arms around his neck as his went around her waist.

Witnessing the recent development, a tear leaked out of the corner of Sirius's eye as he finally decided that Harry was worthy to be his successor at being a womanizer. Not bothering to wipe the tear, Sirius turned his head to Miss Rachel, making sure she noticed the teardrop. After all, all ladies loved sensitive men.

* * *

"This is the Captain speaking. We have just landed in Monaco. The local time is currently 2:28 PM and the weather is clear daylight. On behalf of Camelot Airlines, I would like to thank you for choosing us. We hope this flight met and exceeded all of your expectations. Once again, thank you for choosing Camelot Airlines."

Jarred into the land of the awake by that announcement, Harry opened his eyes to a blurry world. A quick recollection of events indicated that his impaired vision was caused by a mass of blonde hair, belonging to a certain Miss Casey. All the memories floated back into his mind, most of which were naughty, causing his face to gain a cheeky grin. Checking to see if all his body parts were still intact, he noticed that his hands were in some very inappropriate places, still groping Miss Casey. Moving his eyes towards Sirius, he noticed his godfather in a similar compromising position, only with Miss Rachel as his lovely partner.

As quietly as possible, with some help from his wandless magic ability, Harry managed to detach himself from the blonde flight attendant. He then proceeded to wake Sirius up, which was generally never an easy task. Waving his hand, he induced a tickling sensation in Sirius's nose and watched on amused as the older man attempted to swat away what he thought was a fly.

"Sirius!" whispered Harry urgently. Other first-class passengers had already vacated their seats.

After a moment of futile scratching, an annoyed Sirius finally opened his eyes and sent a glare towards his godson. He attempted to move but found himself unable to do so.

"Don't," advised Harry. "I don't think you want to wake Miss Rachel up."

Still half asleep, Sirius smartly said, "Whaazat?"

Sighing to himself, Harry checked to make sure no witnesses were around before he wandlessly levitated Miss Casey and Miss Rachel to different seats.

"Let's get out of here. Take care not to wake the ladies, yeah?" commanded Harry.

"Alright alright, keep your knickers on, prongslet. Just because you got, 'some', doesn't mean you can act all big man now," replied Sirius, getting up and grabbing his carry-ons.

Ignoring Sirius, Harry grabbed his luggage and looked back at Miss Casey lying in his previously vacated seat. Giving her one last searing kiss, he waved a hand over her before he turned and headed towards the exit with Sirius closely behind.

* * *

After going through customs and collecting their luggage wherein Sirius attempted to woo more women but instead was almost arrested for sexual assault, the duo finally exited the airport and was greeted with blaring sunlight and tropical heat smashing against them.

"Where to, Sirius?" asked Harry.

"WE, Prongslet, are going to the magical side of Monaco. Take in some sights, pick up some girls, go to the beach, pick up some girls, gamble a bit, pick up some girls, and watch a Quidditch match. Oh, did I mention picking up girls?"

"Well then, why don't you get us to this place so we can begin our fraternization with the opposite sex, yes?" Sirius's jaw dropped at Harry's uncharacteristic response. Seeing his godson's smirk however, he quickly recovered.

"Alright, alright. Kids these days… don't know how to enjoy life!" Sirius muttered quietly as he beckoned to a limousine.

"I'm 24!" Harry cried indignantly.

* * *

Arriving at the Monte Carlo Hotel, Harry was greeted by an ancient building of immense stature, standing tall in all its graceful architectural elegance. It was made out of a fine sand-colored material with magnificent towers sprouting out at the perfect areas. Three stories in height with Victorian era windows all along the side of the building, this was a hotel only for the influential and wealthy.

The garden held an intricate design filled with lush, green scenery that ensured the bedazzlement of any spectator and Harry silently absorbed the beauty of the entire complex with his lips slightly parted. Beside him, Sirius watched his godson's reaction to the casino palace with slight amusement. He had been hoping for a reaction of this kind and knew that this was exactly the type of place where Harry could finally have peace of mind.

Auror Academy, while having always been Harry's dream destination, did not allow its trainees the daily pleasures and luxuries of life that other employment opportunities provided. Those who put in the extra effort were rewarded with less pain during training and those who slacked off by trying to obtain the time to enjoy life were punished with scars that tended to last for an entire lifetime. Harry, thankfully, had been one of the former, a very talented individual with a special affinity towards Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Sirius's proud thoughts about his precious godson were interrupted when Harry finally regained his ability to vocalize thoughts.

"Sirius, I've got to hand it to you. You surely know how to pick the right places to stay. Talk about a wealthy and uptight demographic," commented Harry as they walked through the garden path leading up to the magnificent entrance of the hotel.

When the duo reached the revolving door that was decorated with gold and silver lining, they were greeted by a graceful tuxedo-donned valet. "Welcome to _L'Hotel de Monte Carlo_, Monsieur! Right through here, please," the valet welcomed as he pointed out the revolving door.

Nodding their thanks to the valet, the duo went straight to the receptionists. Unknowingly, Harry caught the attention of the people in the hotel lobby. Whisperings about the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived' filled the lobby with a dull murmur, serving only to irritate him at once. His fame, it seemed, extended far beyond simply Britain.

"Hello there. I believe I have reservations for a penthouse suite with two rooms under the name of Black?" Harry asked the receptionist, a rather charming young woman who looked to be of oriental descent.

"Y-yes, Mr. Potter. W-we do indeed have your suite ready for you," stuttered the female receptionist as she fidgeted in her seat, looking for the correct keycard.

Finally finding the keycard, the receptionist gave it to Harry with another personal piece of paper hidden behind it, making sure to brush his hand during the transaction. Harry sighed inwardly as he caught her giving him a veiled wink. When would the women stop throwing themselves at his feet?

"I-I do hope you enjoy your stay here Mr. Potter. P-please don't hesitate to call down for any services," she leaned forward slightly and licked her lips suggestively, giving Harry a full view of her assets.

Winking at the pretty receptionist, Harry replied, "Of course, I can't ever deny a pretty face like yours."

Leaving the giddy receptionist with her eyes glazed over as she began to fantasize about various raunchy situations, Harry rolled his eyes and dragged a sour Sirius away.

"And that is how it's done, Sirius. A bit of fame, a dash of charm and you've got yourself one pretty lady at your will. Face it, I'm the hottest piece of meat in the world right now," Harry said smugly and setting a trap for his godfather.

Not able to deny the truth and knowing his pride as a womanizer was on the line, Sirius knew immediate action was needed to reclaim his title as the self-proclaimed, number one irresistible bachelor. Scanning his surroundings, his eyes landed on the back of a ravishing redhead that was certainly fit enough to be a _Victoria's Secret_ model. Smirking suavely, he rounded on Harry, "You've got nothing on me, brat. See that redhead standing by the elevators? Yeah, the one with her back turned to us? Watch me pick her up."

Walking with a strut, Sirius simply oozed an air of superiority, as if announcing to the world, _Look, but don't touch_. Quickly approaching the redhead, Sirius quickly scoured his brain for a pickup line he could use in this situation.

As she was reaching for an elevator button, Sirius quickly captured her elegant hand and leaned over her shoulders to whisper into her ear, "If I told you that your body was beautiful, would you hold it against me?"

He mentally gave himself a pat on the back after seeing a notable shiver. Holding his breath, Sirius was eager to see the face of this beauty as he quickly imagined what her angelic face would look like.

Hoping to give her some encouragement, Sirius started, "I do believe in love at first sight and I'm sure that I'll fall in love with your fa- AHHHHHHHH!"

Sirius yelped in shock at seeing the face of what could have been the woman of his fantasies. Instead of the perfect supermodel face Sirius imagined, he was looking at a woman that could have, and probably would have, passed off as the world's ugliest woman.

Her eyes were extremely far apart, leaving an expanse of space between them, almost embellishing the size of her abnormally wide nose. Above the eerie eyes grew a massive centipede-like uni-brow. The woman's most hideously feature which temporarily shattered the sanity of Sirius's mind was her monstrosity of a mouth. Chewing on a piece of gum like a cow would chew cud, her top set of teeth did not match her bottom set, resulting in a visage that truly resembled a donkey.

Trying to recover from his mental breakdown, Sirius quickly turned back and ran towards Harry, who was pounding the floor with his fist, rolling and laughing at his godfather's state. Narrowing his eyes, Sirius roughly pulled Harry up, quickly grabbed their luggage and dragged him into the elevator farthest from that woman.

Holding a roaring Harry by the front of his shirt, Sirius swiftly pulled out his wand from the inner pocket of his leather jacket, pointed it at his godson's heart and threatened, "If you _ever _mention this to _anyone_, and I mean _anyone_, I am going to tell everyone about the first time you completed your animagus transformation and began to hump the other does in the area. Do I make myself clear?"

At hearing the threat, Harry paled dramatically and quickly agreed to his godfather's command. Obeying the rule of manly camaraderie, Harry and Sirius put this event behind them, never to utter a word about it again in their lives.

Stepping out of the elevator when it reached the penthouse, they both strolled to the end of a lavish hall and reached their suite. Opening the door, Harry and Sirius were greeted with a room fit to accommodate even a sultan of the golden era of Arabia. Rich velvet and leather sofas surrounded them in the living room and a fine, white carpet coated the floor. Thousands of dollars of technology lined the suite, varying from huge widescreen televisions to surround sound speakers. Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of the suite was a vast window spanning across an entire wall of the living room, allowing the occupants a breathtaking view overlooking the white sand beaches of the French Riviera, and the bluish hue of the Mediterranean Sea.

"Merlin Sirius! If I ever embark on a vacation again, make sure that I find you to plan accommodations. This is... beyond amazing," remarked Harry as he sat down on an extremely plush recliner.

"Thanks Prongslet, I do try," Sirius responded modestly with a grin. Then he immediately pointed to his right. "I claim that room!"

* * *

After the two finished unpacking and taking care of their hygiene, they met in the living room where Harry posed a question. "What's the plan for the rest of the evening, Sirius?"

"A brilliant question, Harry. I shall respond with one of my own; what is Monaco known for?"

"The fact that it is an independent sovereign state but still needs France to help its defense?"

"Good gracious!" Sirius replied incredulously. "You need time away from Hermione, lad. You're becoming an uptight prude! I'll bet your father is turning over in his grave right now because of your blasphemy!" shouted Sirius.

Noting the slightly crazed look in Sirius' eye, Harry decided to stop humoring himself and finally answer, "Calm down, calm down. You're thinking of gambling right?"

"Bingo! Right on the ball as always Harry. Do you know the muggle saying, _When in Rome, do as the Romans do_? We're heading to the Monte Carlo casino right now."

"Wait! You're serious? But... I don't know how to gamble, it's completely irresponsible!" exclaimed Harry.

"Well too bad, I've signed us up for the upcoming poker tournament this weekend," said Sirius with a wide smile as he awaited Harry's predictable reaction.

Harry's reply could be heard by all over the hotel as he screamed, "YOU WHAT!?"

* * *

Walking into the hallowed Monte Carlo casino, both Harry and Sirius were awestruck at the magnificent sight before them. Blaring bells indicating jackpot winners, screams of joy from winners and the juxtaposed screams from the losers surrounded the two men, jarring them into the casino atmosphere. A rainbow of flashing colors assaulted their eyes, diverting their sight from the slot machines to the more elegant poker tables and the multitude of bars containing countless bottles of alcohol.

Shaking themselves out of their shocked stupor, Sirius rubbed his hands in anticipation and eagerly began to pull a reluctant Harry towards the poker tables, disregarding the younger man's discomfort at the thought of gambling. A man decked with a black and white tuxedo walked up to the duo and asked politely yet firmly, "Good evening, sirs. May I take your coats?"

Elegantly pulling their coats off, the two gave their article of clothing to the man and proceeded towards the poker tables, one excited and the other hesitant.

"Now Harry, poker is a subtle art that requires immense self-control and involves plenty of skill. Don't be dejected if you fail at first. After all, no one is better than I, Sirius Black, poker champion extraordinaire!" announced Sirius with a cocky grin.

Tuning out the overdramatic monologue happening to the left of him, Harry noticed a scantily-clad woman walking in their direction. Hoping to attract another woman to further reduce Sirius' ego, Harry let out a deep breath, attempted to fix his bird's nest, and smoothly nodded to the woman, signaling her over.

Sashaying her hips, the attractive blonde woman made her way over to Harry and said in a very sultry French accent, "Good evening, sir. _Comment _ç_a-va?_"

"Oh? _Je vais tr__è__s bien, ma ch__è__re._ I was thinking of having a drink, but decided to pass and wait for the company of a lovely woman like you," replied Harry in a moderated husky tone.

Noticing his godson's lack of attention, Sirius turned towards Harry only to find him in the middle of seducing a very fine woman. _Lucky lad_, he thought, irritated in knowing that Harry was clearly winning in their _'Who can catch the most women competition'_, Sirius knew he had to make an executive decision.

Sneaking around Harry, Sirius watched him go about the process of putting his arm around the lovely woman's dainty waist. Seizing his opportunity, Sirius swatted Harry's hand away and secured his own arm around the woman.

"Hey beautiful," said Sirius in a cheery voice, directing the woman away from Harry. "I'm sure that I can make your time worthwhile, not like that young brat back there."

Sirius, being the typical epitome of masculine stupidity, failed to notice the woman's stiff posture and was oblivious to all the developments, still reveling in his victory over his current competitor. He was jerked back with force and when he turned around and finally realized the lady's upcoming action, it was too late. The beautiful French woman swung her arm back and firmly slapped Sirius on the side of his face, leaving a deep red imprint on the side of his face.

Feeling the full force of the blow, Sirius reeled back and stumbled around, stunned at what had just occurred. The woman, looking considerably satisfied yet still angry, stalked up close to Sirius's face and snarled out, "_Je ne suis pas un jouet que tu peux utiliser quand tu veux!_"

Blinking abashedly, Sirius scowled as the lady he had disastrously failed to win marched over to his astonished but smug godson and whispered something into his ear. Obviously delighted, Harry whispered back and she gave him a little peck on the cheek and winked at him before walking away.

Sauntering over to his thoroughly defeated godfather, Harry tried to console him. "It's alright Sirius. You win some and you lose some, yeah? Just because I'm heading up to her suite later tonight and do who-knows-what with her doesn't mean that you're a loser," finished Harry, patting Sirius's shoulder.

"Shut up, just shut up, Harry," Sirius responded sullenly. "Let's finally get to a table where I can rid of my woes." After all, a man could only take so many unfortunate events before calling a break in order to recuperate.

Harry and Sirius ended up at a table with a very smart-dressed dealer. "_Bonjour_, gentlemen. I am Jean-Phillipe, your dealer for tonight. The buy-in is one thousand. How many chips would you two like?" asked the dealer.

"Here, give us five-thousand in chips each for myself and my friend," Sirius said handing over his Gringotts-issued credit card.

"Merci, sir. Here are your chips," passing the chips to Harry and Sirius. "If there are no more participants, this game shall begin."

* * *

"I call two-thousand," announced Harry tensely, lightly scratching the back of his head. An old Asian man wearing a neat black tuxedo had arrived at the table a few rounds prior to their current game. Every round since the man's arrival had resulted in Harry's loss at the final stage. His announcement now indicated that he was going to challenge the old Asian's hand. He needed a jack to complete his straight and secure a potential victory.

The dealer placed the stake chips into a rather large pile, worth more than €10,000 in value. Anticipation grew amidst both the players as the dealer burned the top card. Sirius looked on rather worriedly with deep wrinkles creasing his forehead, not for himself, but for a very unlucky Harry, who just could not seem to catch a break tonight. Having all his chips whittled down to the meager amount Harry now possessed, Sirius knew that if his godson lost this hand, the next would be his last.

Both players placed their hands on the table. The Asian held a pair of aces while Harry had the queen of hearts and the ten of clubs. Smiling politely at them both, the dealer then proceeded to place the first three cards, none of which assisted either player. Harry's tension grew as he anticipated the dealer's next card. The card flipped and with it grew Harry's hope. If the river card now held either the ten of diamonds or the ten of spades, he could win.

"The river card is," the dealer said mysteriously, then paused for dramatic effect as he flipped the card over and spoke softly, "Queen of Spades."

"Fuckinell!" breathed Harry loudly, banging his hands on the table. This caused the people around their table to turn around at the cause of the disturbance and stare.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, trying to pacify his younger companion's frustration, "Harry, calm down, damn it! Listen to me. This is just a _game_. Remember earlier? You win some, you lose some. Besides, I've tons more back in the bank and so do you. Don't worry about it, this one's on me."

Heaving and taking a few deep breaths, Harry finally managed to regain some semblance of his temper and sat down, awaiting his last hand. Sirius offered him a glass of water which he gladly took and gulped down swiftly. He loosened the tie on his neck and undid the top button of his shirt to let the accumulating heat out.

Glancing to his left, he briefly glimpsed a gorgeous blonde woman wearing a shimmering silk dress that accentuated her in all the correct places watching on, perhaps amused at having witnessed his temper flare. Giving no more thought to how heavenly she seemed, Harry closed his eyes, picturing the dealer distributing the cards. However, a moment later, a person leant over Harry's shoulder and asked in a sensual French accent, "Bad luck tonight, _oui_?"

Half-turning in irritation to tell Sirius off for trying to distract him, Harry froze as his eyes came in contact with the blonde woman's face, whom he had glimpsed earlier. Composing himself, he blinked thrice, then turned back to his cards and grunted, "What do you think, genius?"

Not even slightly affronted, she took a look at Harry's cards and told him sweetly, "Place all of your chips in this hand."

Turning his head, Harry took a moment to study her and was instantly entranced by the prettiest eyes he has ever seen. Her eyes were a shade of bright blue that held a sparkle which could have lit up the darkest of places. Glancing around the rest of her face, Harry was sure he had encountered a goddess as her face was of the utmost perfection. Elegant eyebrows accompanied her beautiful eyes, only enhanced by her long eyelashes. Her fair nose and exquisite red lips were proportioned faultlessly, complimenting her pale-white skin to complete an impeccable visage fit for the heavens. A strand of golden hair streaked the length of her face, making her seem even prettier.

Captured by her beauty, Harry somehow knew that she could not lead him wrong and strongly declared, "All in."

The wealthy Asian, looking quite bemused at his competitor's sudden change in mood, decided to put all his chips in as well, stating that he was tired and wanted to end this game.

Both men stood up and placed their hands in the middle of a table. The Asian's hand held yet another pair of aces while Harry's consisted of a rather miserable nine of hearts and seven of diamonds.

Silently bemoaning his stupid decision to trust a pretty face, Harry knew he had no chance against a pair of aces. Glancing across the table, the Asian gave him a slight mocking salute with his hand, as if saying, _You tried your best but it just wasn't enough_.

The dealer unveiled the first three cards, and much to Harry's dismay, they were the ace of diamonds, ten of spades, and three of clubs. Knowing that his chances were slim now and that his opponent held three aces, Harry was about to walk away from the table when an elegant, slender hand approached his shoulder, stopping him. He shivered slightly at the contact. Looking up, he gazed into the face of the mystifying blonde again and listened with rapt attention as she softly said, "Believe in yourself, Monsieur Potter."

Full of resolve once again, Harry ignored Sirius's inquisitive look and turned back to the table as an eight of clubs appeared, raising his chances and hopes. Looking back to the beauty, he smiled warmly as she nodded at him and grasped his hand in her own. Together, they looked on as the final card was about to be turned over.

"The river card is," said the dealer once again and paused, causing everyone to hold their breaths, "Six of hearts."

"_**Yes!**_" shouted Harry as he jumped up, swiveled around, and captured the ethereal blonde into an emphatic embrace beside him. The elderly Asian looked on, stunned, as the large sum of money in the middle of the table shifted to Harry's side, courtesy of the dealer.

Harry pulled back from his hug and set his gaze once again upon the beauty in his arms. In the spur of the moment, he quickly leaned in and captured her delicious looking lips with his own. He felt sparks flying all around his body, a sensation no other woman had ever induced upon him before. However, before Harry could deepen the kiss, the blonde pulled back and turned away, set to leave.

"Wait! What's your name?" Harry cried out, desperate to learn the identity of the woman who had made him feel as though he was the luckiest man on Earth.

The beautiful blonde replied, "Just call me your own personal Lady Luck. _Au revoir_, Harry Potter. We shall meet again soon!" With that, she blew him another kiss and slipped away into the crowd, not to be seen again for the night. Stunned, Harry touched his lips where she had set fire upon him.

Sirius looked at Harry's face and saw a look that he had last seen on his late best friend's face. James Potter had been in a similar stupor when Lily Evans had finally kissed him. Chuckling to himself, Sirius cashed in both his and Harry's chips from the dealer, then put his arm around Harry's shoulders to remind the latter of his presence.

Finally re-entering the realm of reality, Harry looked around wildly before finally staring at his godfather.

"W-who was that?" asked Harry with glazed eyes. Rounding on Sirius, he continued excitedly, "You have to know, Sirius! Why would she say something like that – that she is my own personal Lady Luck? I mean, I've never even seen her before."

Inhaling deeply, he finished, "Was that a goddess from the skies or just part of my imagination?"

Chuckling, Sirius put a reassuring arm around Harry's shoulders and leaned into him before responding, "Why pup, I'm not too sure but she is a damn fine looker."

Deciding to tease his godson a little, Sirius gave Harry a mock stern stare and added, "You sure she's over eighteen?"

"Oh Merlin! Oh Merlin, I could have just kissed a minor," whispered Harry, paling in horror.

"Hold your hippogriffs, Harry, innocent until proven guilty. Besides, minors aren't allowed inside any casino complexes. You didn't do anything wrong. As your godfather, I must commend you on your superb choice in woman. She is really a knockout."

Still in a state of shock, Harry absent-mindedly said, "Yeah, yeah she really is pretty isn't she."

Then, thinking Sirius could not hear him, he added, "Damn fine arse too."

* * *

Arriving back at the hotel lobby, Harry was immediately ushered in by the valet. Exhausted by the day's events, he and Sirius made a beeline for the elevator but were intercepted by a female voice as they passed the reception counter.

"Mr. Potter!" called the receptionist with whom Harry had earlier flirted.

Without turning around, Harry leaned into an attentive Sirius's ear and whispered, "I don't think I can handle some tonight. Please, distract her, will you?"

He clapped Sirius lightly on the back and ignoring the call, continued towards the elevator, leaving the older man to clean up the mess.

Entering his room, Harry immediately dropped onto the bed. Replaying the day's events in his mind, Harry fell asleep with a true smile on his face, dreaming of a certain mysterious blonde bombshell.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey all, this story is written in cooperation with a close friend of mine. We came up with this idea one night when we were chatting about the lack of unique pairings the HP fanfics, so we decided to write one.

With school starting up again and the fact that both of us are in Grade 12, we'll be quite busy throughout the year. Hopefully, we'll have a chapter up every second week.

As always, please read and review. Your reviews mean the world to us!


	2. Friday

**The Escape of Lady Luck – Chapter Two: Friday  
**

Harry woke up with a grunt. Smacking his lips together a few times, he finally sat up and scanned his surroundings with blurry eyes. Getting up groggily, he was welcomed to a shiver in his toes by the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. When he came out, he became aware of another presence in the room. A young blonde woman in a tempting French maid outfit gazed up at him invitingly.

He blinked.

She was the same woman from last night, the one who had dubbed herself as his Lady Luck. Harry's eyes began their endeavour by examining her elegant feet, which were clad in a pair of stunning black high heels. Attractive fishnet stockings were found on her long luscious legs leading up to her juicy thighs, the place where her dress began. The black and white one-piece dress clung to her body like paint, highlighting her perfect hourglass body. Further up her alluring body, a small winged Pegasus, expertly crafted out of diamond, was connected to an elegant necklace of white gold. Moving past the jewellery, the mysterious woman's face held just enough make-up, to enhance her natural beauty. Her golden locks of hair were accompanied by a white frill, finishing off the seductive ensemble.

After intently studying this perfect specimen of the female race, Harry gained a blush that would have put a preteen Ginny Weasley to shame. Who knew a simple maid's outfit could be so provocative?

She stood up suddenly, startling Harry out of his wonderings and slowly prowled towards him predatorily. Swaying her hips attractively, she flashed him a sultry smile and put her arms around his neck, making Harry shiver throughout.

With his brain in a state of stasis, Harry lamely began, "So, uh... I didn't quite catch your name last nigh-" but was unable to finish as she secured his lips with her own in a passionate kiss. Caught unawares but extremely satisfied with her advance, he put his arms around her, one around her waist and the other sneaking under her hair to rest at the nape of her smooth and delicate neck, pulling her closer to him in a lover's embrace.

Fuelled on by the flames of their passion, Harry placed butterfly kisses all over her cheeks and trailed kisses along her jaw line. She moaned with pleasure, spurring him to continue, as she simultaneously played with his messy hair. His hands were beginning to wander along the side of her curvaceous body when she suddenly pulled away, leaving him bereft and disoriented.

Gazing into his deep green eyes, she smiled at him once more, settling her arms around his neck. When Harry recovered and opened his mouth to speak, she pressed a finger to his mouth and shook her head lightly. Pulling him slightly down, she gave him a chaste kiss and pulled away, heading towards the door.

"Wait!" Harry called, "What's your name?"

She looked back, eyebrows slightly raised with hands on hips, and responded with amusement sparkling in her eyes, "_Riiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiing!_"

Befuddled, he looked on quizzically at her. What did that suspiciously familiar sound have to do with her name? Then he heard the noise again and this time, her mouth was not open. The corners of his vision began giving away to perpetual darkness.

_Riiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiing!_

_Riiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiing!_

Harry Potter awoke, extremely sexually frustrated, to the noise of the telephone ringing. _Was that all a dream?_

_Riiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiing!_

He turned over to his side and lifted his upper body to receive the phone, muscles groaning in protest.

"What?" He snapped, unable to calm himself at being interrupted from the highly entertaining dream.

"Sir," answered the feminine voice of the receptionist, "Good morning to you. This is your wake-up call as requested by one Sirius Black at 6 AM."

"S – Six AM?" yelled Harry indignantly. Craning his neck slightly, he glanced towards the clock. It was indeed 6 AM. _Bloody hell!_ He sighed loudly. When he found Sirius, there would be hell to pay.

"Sir? Sir, is everything all right?" the voice asked worriedly.

"Yes, everything's fine." _Not for Sirius_, thought Harry. With that, he dropped the phone and sat up straight on his bed. All of his internal hormones screamed at him to storm into Sirius's room and hex the older man into oblivion right then and there, but he refrained himself. Barely. There were other ways in which he could exact his revenge. With that, he allowed himself a slight smile and began meditating as was the norm for him every morning. Meditation allowed him to keep his Occlumency shields in place and reinforce them, not that anyone still existed in the world that could penetrate his shields anymore. The last one, Voldemort, had died long ago and the monster would stay that way. For eternity.

* * *

Pulling his socks as far up as they would stretch, he released the fabric and then stood up tall. An hour after the ungodly wake-up call, he was now fully dressed, showered and refreshed. Now he needed to find Sirius and enjoy the day before practicing for the upcoming tournament at the casino. Hopefully, he would get a peek of his Lady Luck once more – in flesh, mind. Opening the plain door to the living room, he was greeted with bright light, a sharp contrast to his dark bedroom. Squinting his eyes and blinking several times, he strode across the room without a glance at the gorgeous scenery outside and opened Sirius's door.

There was no sign of life inside the room. The bed looked slept in; the sheets were ruffled and the coating blanket was a mess to one side. The window blinds were closed, letting no light enter the room. Evidently, Sirius had escaped the suite before Harry could lay his hands on the man. _Smart_. He shrugged and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sirius was probably down in the lobby, wooing and corrupting innocent young women no doubt.

Harry donned his sparkling black leather HUGO BOSS 'Casey's and exited the suite, not bothering to use a card to lock the door but simply waving a hand dismissively towards it on his way out.

Walking out the revolving door to the lobby, Harry decided to explore the grounds of the grand hotel. The bright sun was still in the process of rising up, entirely cascading the front yard in shadow due to the massive size of the hotel building. He strutted around, following a quiet, clean, cobblestone pathway. It led to a huge open area enclosed with sparkling silver-finished fences that enclosed three brick-red clay tennis courts, a marble-tiled swimming pool, and a path further along which Harry assumed led to the famed beach.

He smiled, inhaling the fresh and salty air of the Mediterranean. The sun shone brightly along this land unlike the front of the hotel and served to brighten Harry's mood. His eyes scanned the premises. There were five people swimming in the pool. The tennis courts were full, occupied by numerous early risers and tennis fanatics. Focusing in, he witnessed a black-haired man chatting with a pair of ladies that were about to leave. _Of course_.

Sirius Black seemed relaxed and content as he flirted shamelessly with the two women, who from the outfits they wore, looked rather wealthy. They were dressed in full white, starting from their tennis sweaters and matching skirts, to the low-cut blank socks and white pair of sneakers. One of them turned slightly to face the general direction where Harry stood, and suddenly the latter understood his godfather's motivation. The woman looked positively stunning, with a fair, unblemished face to the long, silky sandy-brown hair.

Harry strode purposefully at the trio, fully intent on exacting his revenge. When he arrived at the fence gate, one of the women was in the process of handing a piece of paper to Sirius. _Probably the suite number or the phone number_, Harry sighed. Pushed gently, the door creaked open and all three heads swivelled towards him. He flashed Sirius a wide grin that spoke volumes as Harry's godfather suddenly paled and only managed to give a weak smile in return.

The older man's eyes seemed to plead with Harry, begging him to not pull any mischief at the moment. This only served to make Harry alter his grin to a smirk.

"Hello," he began suavely towards the ladies, watching Sirius glare from the corner of his eye.

"Oh, hi! Are you here to play tennis?" spoke the woman whose face Harry had earlier glimpsed. She had a gentle British accent.

"Of course. Couldn't pass up the chance to play a few rounds two gorgeous ladies," he beamed in reply.

The woman blushed slightly. "My name is Elizabeth and my partner here is Marie," she introduced, linking her arms with the other woman so that both women were facing him completely. Marie was a tall brunette who, dressed entirely in white like Elizabeth, was quite a stunning lady herself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Harry." Grasping a hand from each lady, Harry applied a gentle kiss to the backs of each hand, generating a healthy blush on their faces.

Then Elizabeth's smile faltered slightly and she said, "I'm sorry, Harry. We can't play tennis at the moment. The two of us were just finishing up. We've got to leave the premises in a few minutes."

Harry schooled his features so that the girls thought his face fell. "Oh," he responded softly, then attempted to brighten up, "Well, I suppose I can make do with Sirius for the day."

"You two know each other?" Elizabeth seemed surprised and so did Marie.

"Of course we –" Sirius was cut off and his face started turning red.

"_Know him_? Do I _know_ him? Are you serious?" Harry interrupted indignantly in a snobby pure-blood tone.

"Yes, I am!" Sirius replied cheekily, once again trying to gain the favour of the ladies.

Elizabeth giggled slightly and Harry waved his hand slightly at Sirius, irritated. _How many times have I warned him_?

"Why ma'am, I do hope you're not mocking me," Harry said playfully, flashing a chiding smile. "Sirius here," he paused to slap the petrified Sirius on the shoulder, "Well, you see, he's my butler."

Both the women's jaws dropped. "You – you mean," Marie fumbled, unable to put into words her astonishment.

"This man," Elizabeth started eloquently but angrily, "is your servant?"

"Sadly, yes," Harry answered, nodding his head meaningfully. Sirius's face was completely red at this point and he rather looked like an overgrown tomato. "I'd asked him to scout the area and repo –"

"Enough!" cried Marie.

"C'mon Marie, we're leaving," Elizabeth said coldly.

"Good day to you, sir," she nodded at Harry. Both girls glared icily at Sirius for a moment before stalking off.

As Harry watched them walk off, he could hear them muttering furiously, cursing each other for their stupidity in flirting back to a 'butler'. Harry chuckled and turned towards Sirius. He flicked his wrist and Sirius dropped to the ground suddenly with a loud grunt.

The older man quickly picked himself up and, without a glance at Harry, sprinted off to try and mend his newly formed and broken relationship. However, the girls were already too far gone by the time he got past the fence and so he turned around and stomped back, glaring at Harry furiously. Harry gave him an innocent shrug though his still held a sparkle of mischief.

"You!" Sirius began, and finished, "How could – I can't believe you'd – Damn it, Harry! What did I do to deserve this?"

"Oh please, Sirius. You're nowhere near as innocent as make yourself out to be. Setting up a wake-up call at 6AM in the bloody morning when we arrived back at 1AM the night before ring any bells in your thick head?"

"It was only a – oh," Sirius said, feeling abashed. The older man rubbed his neck nervously. "Well, you see, I thought –"

"—save it!" Harry interrupted, losing his cool exterior and beginning to show his anger. "I don't want to hear excuses when clearly, you're not sorry for pulling such a mindless, insensitive prank."

"I – you – well – you still shouldn't have done what you did! Did you see how gorgeous they were?" Sirius vented loudly, his eyes flashing in what Harry judged was misguided anger.

"Sirius, shut up," Harry said with finality. He really was not in the mood to argue. There were plenty interesting activities he would rather be doing than having a silly argument with his godfather over the brilliant retaliation he had just dished out.

Sirius, however, was not finished. "No, I will not. Now, you listen to me, you brat! You will never ever and I mean nev –"

"I'm serious!" Harry interrupted pointedly.

"Would you _stop_ – interrupting," Sirius started bellowing, evidently flustered at having his godson cut him off routinely. Then, processing Harry's last words, he suddenly grinned. "No you're not, I am!"

Harry's eyes flashed dangerously and he groaned. _Not again_. "Don't make me hex you! Do you remember what happened the last time you used that joke before today?" he asked with a pointed glare.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Sirius replied, wincing and instinctually placing his hands over his crotch defensively as he reminisced unpleasantly.

"Much better."

Silence reigned for a few seconds between the two of them. Then, Sirius broke the peace by asking, "Hey Harry, do you think you can teach me this tennis?"

"What?" Harry responded dazedly. During the silence, he had been thinking of the Lady Luck once more and had been entranced by her beauty within his mind. "Oh, yeah sure. Do you have a wand?"

"I've got two," Sirius stated slyly, then amended, "Yeah, I always carry mine with me."

"Okay, good. Just watch me conjure one and then you can do yours." With that, Harry flicked his finger and waved his hand exaggeratedly, looking as though he were going to bow. A shiny tennis racquet appeared out of thin air and Harry grasped it firmly with his left and performed a little flourish.

Sirius conjured an imitation of Harry's racquet and then stowed his wand away again. Not knowing how to hold it properly, he held the grip tightly and gave a few test swings.

"Are you ready to learn? First, we'll start with hand grips."

* * *

An hour later, both players panted as they laboriously ran the width of the court in the nick of time to respond to a swift swat the other player had made. Sirius had been very dismal at first, considering he had never played tennis before. However, it was not long before he picked up the concept and really started engaging with the game. He would later explain to Harry that tennis was a lot like beating bludgers, a sport which Sirius had been very accustomed to during his Hogwarts years.

Despite Sirius's adaptability, his lack of experience ensured that he truly did not stand a chance against Harry, who was both athletically and experientially superior to him in terms of the sport. Over the course of the hour, they had played four sets, in which Harry had dominated and sent Sirius to the gallows three sets in a row. Sirius started to show competence beginning the fourth set where he managed to claim a frustrated win. As they edged closer to finishing their last set, Sirius proved that he was a quick learner as the score rested at Sirius's two sets to Harry's three sets.

Harry served the last ball with the game score tied at forty with an Advantage to him. His serve curved dangerously to the left, and Sirius was hard pressed to run diagonally and maintain power in his reply. The receive went straight, just past the net and managed to stay inbounds, forcing Harry to sprint across the width of the court to lightly swing in time. The ball barely managed to cross the net and when it did so, it was met with a powerful smash from Sirius, which sent Harry running once more in an effort to keep up.

With the ball high in the air, Harry dashed underneath and readied himself for a receiving smash. It was flawless. In the smash, Harry managed to tilt his body just enough so that the ball rocketed past the net and just nicked the outbound line before veering out, rendering Sirius incapable of responding.

"Nice one," Sirius panted as he ambled to center court to meet Harry.

Harry simply nodded, out of breath, as sweat ran down his face and stuck his clothes to his body.

"We need to play this more often. Definitely helps with the stamina," Sirius said conversationally as he whipped out his wand and cast a quick cooling charm on himself. He did the same for Harry and received a 'thanks' in return.

"So, do you want to go to the beach?" Sirius asked. "It's only a short walk from here and a good place to relax."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said. "But I've got to go back to the suite first. I want to take a shower first and make myself presentable once more."

* * *

"You know, I've always wondered about how you and Albus had a falling out of sorts," said Sirius conversationally as he and Harry ambled along the clean, empty cobblestone pathway that presumably lead to the local beach. Tall hedges, well over eight feet in height, isolated the pathway. "I've never understood why you suddenly refused to talk to him, hell, even look at him in the eye."

"Sirius," Harry warned, not wanting to discuss anything about the past. His years in Hogwarts following the fourth held many troubling memories for him, most of which he did not want to ever reminisce about. "You know I don't like it when anyone mention's the old coot's name."

"Yeah, but – " A loud shriek interrupted Sirius's reply and both of them attempted to guess the direction from where the sound had emanated.

"What the bloody," Harry paused, swearing silently, "was that?"

Another loud shriek pierced the air. There was a pause. Then another shriek filled the air. And another. Harry and Sirius looked at each other for a moment, then snapped their wrists and whipped out their wands as they sprinted towards the beach, where they were sure the distressing sounds had come from.

They could hear the sea now as the waves crashed onto the shore and could smell the salt from the path they ran on. Then, there was laughter.

"... but wow that was fun!" laughed a woman's voice.

"Yeah, it was! Too bad we've got to head in." Another woman.

"Oh please, give me a break. I've had enough beach volleyball to last me months!" cried a third voice, also female.

"Only because you're terrible at it, Anne," replied the first voice.

Harry and Sirius halted, immediately and stowed their wands away. The voices seemed to be really close by, meaning that the beach could not be far away. They glanced at each other in bewilderment. They had been so sure of misconduct that they had not given thought to the possibility of any mischief. Harry sighed, Sirius shrugged and the duo continued walking along.

"So, same time tomorrow, ladies?" intoned a deep voice, definitely male.

"You bet!" squealed the voice of the second woman.

The voices closed in around Harry and Sirius rapidly and a second later, the two glimpsed a golden-blonde head turning the corner ahead. Shimmering in the sunlight, her hair immediately captured the eyes of Harry and Sirius. Unable to look away, the two men cast their gaze over the rest of the unknown beauty's backside. Despite wearing a modest and conservative baby-blue two-piece swimsuit, the curves of her body were accentuated, allowing the male imagination to wonder with rapt attention what delectable treasures hid underneath her swimsuit. Animatedly chatting with her friends, she kept on walking backwards with a natural sway in her hips.

"Gosh, why are you two so obsessed over volleyball? Beaches are supposed to be for – oof!" She crashed headlong into Sirius, who seemed frozen to the spot, still mesmerized by her sparkling hair. As she started toppling over, Sirius grabbed her arm firmly with his left hand and snaked his right arm around her back to support her. Chocolate brown eyes met grey.

"Oh!" she cried in surprise. She shook herself from his gaze and stood up. "I'm so sorry, sir. I wasn't loo—" Her frantic apology halted when Sirius latched a finger onto her mouth, interrupting her.

"Don't be," he said.

Harry smirked from beside the duo as the woman's friends raced around the corner, with concerned faces.

"Anne, are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"This man didn't do anything inappropriate, did he?" a male voice asked menacingly, pointing a large finger at Sirius. It was the same voice they had heard earlier. He was a tall, dark-skinned, and handsome looking man, wearing a casual shirt, sun shades and a pair of beige shorts.

"Uh," Harry started, attempting to pacify the dark scowl on the man's face. However, Harry's efforts were in vain.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Sirius had left the woman's side and was now glaring up at the man, who stood at least a head taller than him. The recipient glared back in an intimidating manner and if Sirius had been a lesser man than he was, that is to say not a wizard, he would have backed away.

"Steve, stop it," Anne ordered. Then she continued in a softer tone, "It was really all my fault. I should have looked where I was going."

Steve glanced at her for a second but again glared back at Sirius, who did the same.

Harry rubbed his nape uncomfortably and let out a nervous chuckle. "So..."

The three women immediately turned to him as if they were noticing him for the first time. Anne turned back without a second glance while the two girls standing near Steve glided towards Harry and flashed him bright smiles, which he returned tentatively.

"Hi, I'm Andrea!" The first woman introduced herself and held out her hand. She had blonde hair and brown eyes like Anne.

"And I'm Amelia," chimed in the second woman, reciprocating Andrea's actions. She looked identical to Andrea.

"I'm Harry," he replied, shaking both the women's hands. "Are you three sisters?"

"Yes, we are," gushed Amelia excitedly.

"And this is my boyfriend, Steve," followed Andrea. "Steve, stop glaring at poor Anne's saviour and come meet Harry."

That broke the ice between Steve and Sirius as the former gave a sneer before turning away to greet Harry with a handshake. "I'm Steve, as you've heard." With that, he marched away and coolly turned towards Andrea and Amelia. "We really should get going now."

Harry watched Andrea closely as she looked at her boyfriend, bit her lower lip gently, gave a quick glance towards Harry, and nodded her head. "Yes, we really should be going now."

She and Amelia walked a few paces towards the hotel with Steve before turning back towards Anne, who still stood near Sirius.

Eyes locked together, Sirius and Anne's intimate moment was interrupted with a call from Andrea, "Come along then, Anne. We haven't got much time." Then turning to harry, she said, "We'll see you around!"

Harry put a hand on his godfather's shoulder, snapping the older man out of his reverie. Sirius stared at Harry for a long moment. The younger man grinned and said nonchalantly, "So, is there anything you'd like to tell me about Miss Anne?"

"Shut up," Sirius retorted as he ruffled his godson's hair, making Harry scowl. The two then proceeded quietly towards the beach.

* * *

Having only been to the beach once before in his life, and that too while defending a Muggle community from a death eater raid in Dover, Harry was completely unprepared for the spectacular scene this beach provided. All around him, voices buzzed with excitement, relaxation and laughter. The sun shone brilliantly, heating the sand and making it enjoyable to walk on the sand barefooted. The smell of salt was not overwhelming, giving a pleasant scent around the beach. The breeze rippled lightly, ascertaining that tourists did not feel too warm.

The coast seemed to stretch on for miles, and all Harry could see to the distance was sand and the clear blue color reflecting on the water from the sky. Simply put, the beach was brilliant.

Harry looked sideways at his godfather as they walked along the shore silently. Sirius still had a long face, and Harry guessed that his godfather was still upset over the deal with Steve. Harry could not really blame Sirius. From the short time they have met, Steve had been a presumptive jerk who assumed he was god's gift to Earth.

"It's 2 PM, Sirius," Harry said, "I think your brooding time is over. You need to enjoy the beach. After all, it was _your_ idea to come here."

Sirius halted. "You know what, Harry? You're right. Let's go have some fun. I'm not going to let a couple of pricks bring my mood down." He winked.

"Well well well, look who we have here! Really Severus, you couldn't have picked a better resort. Not only do we get to harass scarhead but his mutt of a godfather too," sneered a nasty voice behind Harry and Sirius.

Harry sighed, he could recognize that ferrety voice anywhere in the world. He cocked his head sideways towards Sirius without a single glance behind him. "Don't tell me you knew they'd be here. I really didn't come here to deal with this."

"I had no idea, Harry." Sirius looked at Harry apologetically.

"But hey," Sirius exclaimed theatrically, "Today, I've had my fair share of the good," he clapped Harry's shoulder, "the bad," he glanced at Draco Malfoy behind them, "and the _ugly_," he sneered at the greasy-haired stature of Severus Snape.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Harry asked with gritted teeth.

"Aw Potter, miss me much? It pains my heart to see Dumbledore's pawn getting _angry_," Malfoy laughed uproariously.

"Don't you _dare_ associate me with Dumbledore ever again!" Harry strode forward menacingly and hissed.

Malfoy flinched back involuntarily in fear but recovered immediately. "Oh, that's right! You two hate each other, don't you? Why Potter, I didn't know you had the backbone in you to go against the old idiot. Perhaps..." he trailed off with a smirk, "Perhaps it had something to do with the, ah, debacle involving the death of the retarded Longbottoms?" Snape snickered behind him.

Harry eyes flashed dangerously and his face turned pale. He faltered back unconsciously. Around him, the sound had suddenly slowed down and the color turned grey. He felt Sirius move beside him and yell something at Malfoy but it did nothing to quell the icy dread in his heart. He could remember that day as clearly as he remembered the day of Voldemort's defeat. It had been the day he had lost all respect for Dumbledore as a leader and as a compassionate man.

_The crouching of gravel underneath his shoes was all he could hear as Harry sprinted towards the mighty fortress of Hogwarts. Its imposing shadow grew larger with every passing moment as the sun was gracefully setting, allowing the world to be entranced and lulled to sleep by the night. Silently cursing himself for neglecting to bring his treasured Firebolt with him, Harry kept on rushing towards Hogwarts._

_Climbing up the weather worn marble staircase, Harry finally entered the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. Not pausing to take in the exceptional sights of the great hall, he immediately took off for Dumbledore's office in a race against the clock that he was losing._

_Eventually, Harry reached the familiar gargoyle that guards Dumbledore's office. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he muttered the password, "Fuzzy Peaches", and began his ascent up the spiralling stairs._

"_Professor Dumbledore! Professor! Neville, he's been caught!" shouted Harry as he reached the top of the staircase._

_As calm as ever, Dumbledore digested this strand of information and began to move his imaginary chess pieces around. Looking at Harry with his genial grandfatherly visage, he started, "That is most unfortunate, Harry. How did this happen?"_

"_Look, we don't have enough time to discuss how I found out. In short, I showed up at his flat, saw signs of a tussle and scorch marks from spells, then immediately came running over here. Now let's assemble the Order and get him out of Voldemort's grasps," Harry urgently stated._

"_I understand your distress towards your missing friend, but we must do what is for the greater good at this moment," replied Dumbledore, trying to placate his 'weapon'._

"_Voldemort is almost done assembling his forces. Are you saying that we should abandon Neville and lose a powerful fighter – that I should lose a good friend?"_

"_Harry, we are not abandoning Neville, he is simply carrying out his duty as a warrior for the light-"_

"_Bollocks! Neville is not a sacrificial pawn you can just throw away so that your own plans can progress. If he's someone disposable, then what the fuck am I to you?" accused Harry._

"_Please calm down, Harry. You of all people should know that I treasure everyone in the Order. If we dispatch our troops to rescue Mr. Longbottom, we'll be putting two of our undercover agents in jeopardy. Understand that I am just acting in accordance to the bigger picture, for the greater good," Dumbledore placated, inwardly seething._

_The office suddenly became deathly silent except for the haggardly breathing from Harry's side. Slightly trembling, Harry lifted up his head, allowing his intense green eyes to be shrouded in darkness as he projected his basilisk like stare into the timeworn eyes of Dumbledore. _

_With a calm voice that seemed to cut into the air seamlessly, Harry stated, "I see. It appears that we have a slight difference in opinion. I want to rescue my friend Neville while you want to take him away from me and protect scum like Snivellus. I've no more to say to you old man. Good bye."_

_And on that word, Harry turned his back and descended the stairs; never looking back on the man he once called a friend, mentor, and family._

"... do you mean?" Harry heard Sirius cry outrageously. The dazed young man shook himself to clear his head of the not-so-fond memory.

"Oh for crying out loud Black, use that minuscule brain stuffed inside your thick skull for once," sneered Snape.

Sirius's eyes glazed over in anger and he pulled out his wand in plain sight of the entire beach populace, though there was nobody interested in the heated argument he was having with Malfoy and Snape. "Give me _one_ reason, Snape. Just _one_ reason as to why I shouldn't hex you where you stand. Merlin knows you deserve it. I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking during the war when he sacrificed dozens of innocents to protect the life of a snivelling bastard like you!"

"How dare you accuse me with such preposterous things!" Snape had drawn out his wand too and was now aiming it between Sirius's eyes.

"Yeah, is that how you back off from claiming responsibility for taking Neville's life?"

"Longbottom?" Malfoy interjected with a laugh. "Oh... but what a sight it was!"

"Draco!" Snape attempted to silence his younger companion but it was of no use. Malfoy was already speaking once more.

"You should have arrived earlier, Potter," he addressed Harry, "and perhaps you would have witnessed how pathetically weak your friend was. He had not the strength to resist Aunty Bella's Imperious Curse and the consequences, as usual, were disastrous..."

"What?" Harry choked. _Not now_. He could not – would not – listen to Malfoy as the prat started to gloat about the demise of Neville Longbottom. He had long attempted to bury his emotions over that depressing memory and the fact that he had reminisced just now did not help. _And listening to Malfoy as the arse slanders my friend's name isn't on the top of my list right now_.

Malfoy was not deterred. Looking directly into Harry's apprehensive eyes, the blond smirked evilly. He slapped the side of his head mockingly. "Silly me. I forgot to mention that you yourself witnessed the effects of my dear Aunty's Cruciatus curse. You did, didn't you? Tsk tsk, poor Potter. If you only knew the full story –"

Snape gripped Malfoy's shoulder tightly and shook his head disapprovingly with a pointed stare. Malfoy shrugged him off and continued smirking as the blood drained from Harry's face at a rapid rate, leaving it entirely pale, gaunt, and... murderous.

"That's enough," spoke Sirius, attempting to cut the tension in the air. He could feel the suffocating wave of energy surrounding Harry. He knew that Harry was beyond angry at this point. Only extreme anger ever evoked such an aura around his godson and Sirius could only remember perhaps two or three times in the past that he had witnessed such a spectacle. Never a good sign. "I suggest you leave, Snivellus, and take that snivelly twat along with you. You've seen the consequences of this before," he said gravely and motioned with his head towards Harry.

Malfoy was oblivious and Harry was in his own little world, only able to hear and process Malfoy's words. "The way he twitched," Malfoy gestured and flailed his arms wildy, as if to imitate a victim of the Cruciatus curse, "Longbottom knew he was dead. He _begged_ her – even me – to end his suffering. But no," he paused hollowly, "no, there was to be no end. She tortured and tortured and tortured him until his mind was completely incoherent and fragmented, and then she tortured him some more." He shuddered, recalling the images of that evening vividly.

Harry once again saw Neville's face, blank and haunted as if his eyes had witnessed things that they ought to never see. He blinked off the tears that threatened to overwhelm him and listened to Malfoy, albeit unwillingly, once more.

"...ve thought that Longbottom, being an Order member, could at least fend off the Imperious curse. But no, even that was too much to ask. The things she made him do... and to his parents no less."

"No," Harry whispered in horror. The elderly couple he had seen slumped over in one of the cells. _Of course_. Had they been killed? _No_, he thought suddenly, _no it can't be_. _Not Neville_. _Lestrange, you bloody horrible bitch!_

Malfoy watched Harry intently with a smug look on his face. "Ah, caught on, have you? Well, you can't say it wasn't expected. After all, it's widely known that Aunty Bella had an unhealthy obsession regarding the health of the Longbottom family. At least take solace in the fact that she had complete vaporized his mind by the time she decided to be crueler and make him... ah, perhaps I'll leave that to your imagination, Potter."

Harry did not know what to think. The horrific information to which he had just been exposed gave him startling insight on how much Dumbledore's inaction had cost the war effort. He stayed silent, seething inside and unconsciously rubbed his right forearm, where his wand lay hidden.

Basking in the look of pure horror in Harry's face, Malfoy let out a nasty grin, then drawled, "Suffice to say, Potter, that before their deaths, the elder Longbottoms were in a world of pa –"

"_Enough!_" Harry roared. He would listen no more. In his mighty rage, he flicked his wrist violently and his wand shot forth onto his palm. He whipped his wand at Malfoy's torso and yelled in a tortured voice, "_Expelliarmus!_"

"No, Harry!" cried Sirius in alarm.

"Potter!" roared Snape accusatorily.

Draco Malfoy had no chance. He had no time to process Harry's quick, fluid movements when he was suddenly blasted away. In the process of pulling out his wand, he flew backwards against the wind at high speeds, flailing his arms in panic, and landed unceremoniously against the coarse sand a hundred metres away from Harry with a loud thud. His wand sailed away but before it could be caught by Harry, Snape intervened, summoning Malfoy's wand. He was effectively buried a foot into the sand and his back seared with unexpected pain when he tried to move.

"How dare you attack Draco, Potter?" Snape asked murderously, whipping out his own wand. "I'll make sure you learn your lesson." With that, he flicked his wand, sending a dark yellow jet of light at Harry.

"He's not in school anymore, Snivellus," Sirius answered as he waved his own wand to intercept the curse headed for Harry.

Snape fired off another spell, this time deep red, and so began the battle, if one could call it that. In truth, all the participants knew that Harry would have no problem dispatching Snape and Malfoy together if the need arose. And it did. Harry's fury was beyond the threshold following Snape's curse and suddenly, an eerie silence befell the beach.

Sirius could sense the impending doom, or rather in Harry's case, the explosion of magical energy. "Harry, no!" he whispered desperately, disregarding the futility of his warning.

Harry's wand moved inhumanly fast and aimed at Snape's heart. _Stupefy!_

Snape barely managed to erect a shield in time. He immediately ducked and shifted to the side as two more spells flashed past overhead.

Harry was relentless. Using the experience gained from training to defeat Lord Voldemort and from the Auror Academy, he swung his wand in complicated patterns as though he were practicing being a conductor for an orchestra. _Stupefy! Incarcerous! Diffindo!_

Sirius also joined in, attempting to incapacitate Snape before Harry could truly let loose any deadly spells. "_Deprimo!_"

Snape panted from the amount of energy he had to expend simply avoiding the rapid torrent of curses, hexes and jinxes hurled at him. He had always been a superb dueller but truly, fending off the most powerful wizard in Britain and a former Auror could hardly count as fair in a fight. Between dodging and deflecting spells, he was hard pressed to answer with his own repertoire of curses. He dropped Malfoy's useless wand. Attempting to fire spells with two wands would be pointless when he did not have the practice nor the finesse.

"_Sectumsempra!_" he bellowed as he slashed, sidestepping a nasty bludgeoning hex from Harry.

"_Confringo!_" rasped a voice from his side. Snape exhaled in relief, Malfoy had recovered.

Harry narrowed his eyes. He silently berated himself. _Should have rendered Malfoy ineffective when I had the chance_. He dived out of the way of the dark spell, siderolled up and immediately summoned a nearby beachball, transfiguring it into a solid block of wood, which exploded in the process of absorbing Malfoy's spell, spraying the battle zone with splinters.

Harry winced. _Stupid idea_. Some of the splinters lanced towards him, making him raise a hasty shield. This gave Snape the break he so needed from Harry's onslaught and the potions master sent a string of spells against Sirius, double-teaming with Malfoy. _Oh no, you don't!_ _Depulso!_

Harry's banishing charm sent Malfoy sailing once again but the blond recovered faster this time and was on his feet in seconds. This cost him dearly however as a second later, a well-aimed _Diffindo_ from Harry cut a line right across his knee, causing him to fall down and cry out in pain.

Harry summoned Malfoy's wand and pocketed it quickly before turning to Snape who was holding his own against Sirius, the two of them trading spells back and forth with neither having a clear advantage.

"_Expulso!_" Harry sent at Snape, who easily deflected the spell, causing a large portion of water nearby to shoot up into the air as the expelling spell came into contact with it.

_Petrificus Totalus! Expelliarmus! Deprimo! Confringo!_ He sent volleys of spells towards his greasy-haired opponent but the latter ably dodged all four while managing to keep Sirius at bay. Analyzing closely, Harry could see that Snape was tiring fast and without the help of the injured and bleeding Malfoy, whose wails served only as a distraction, he could not last long.

With this in mind, Harry tracked the movements of Snape's wand and aiming carefully, thought, _Flagrate!_

His aim was dead on and Snape's wand glowed briefly, making him yelp sharply and drop his wand hastily. He grasped his wand hand with his left but before he could do anything, he was sent back with a well placed stunner from Sirius.

"About time," muttered Harry darkly, as he and Sirius walked cautiously towards Malfoy.

"Hey," defended Sirius in outrage, "It's not my fault the greasy git knows how to fight."

A series of cracks filled the air suddenly and over a dozen people appeared, dressed in navy blue robes.

"Oh fuck," stated Sirius eloquently.

One man, tall and bald, strode confidently towards Harry and Sirius with a frown on his face while the rest of his team went about, obliviating muggles who had witnessed the battle. "Harry, Sirius, would either of you care to explain to me what the _hell_ just happened here?"

"Er," Harry started nervously but Sirius interjected.

"Look Kingsley, we aren't at fault here. If anything, arrest Malfoy and Snape. They instigated this whole mess by dredging up old, painful topics," Sirius explained frantically.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stared at him for a moment, then pulled out his wand and casted, "_Ferula!_"

Malfoy's irritable cry stopped as bandages strapped around his knee, halting the loss of blood and diminishing the pain.

"That does not explain why you two felt the need to fire spells. In a _muggle area_, no less! What exactly were you thinking?" Kingsley ranted at Sirius.

"He brought up Neville," Harry quietly responded, ducking his head shamefully. The black Auror immediately paled in comprehension.

"Oh. Look, I'm sorry, Harry," Kingsley apologized. "You, Malfoy," he started, turning around towards the blond man lying on the sand, "are in some deep shite. You'd better hope your money can lessen the sentence you'll be receiving for instigating a duel in front of muggles, and thereby breaking the International Statute of Secrecy."

Kingsley tilted his head towards Harry and Sirius and continued softly in his deep voice, "You're free to leave. My counterparts from the French Ministry of Magic will take care of this mess."

* * *

"Bloody hell, it's already 7 o' clock!" exclaimed Sirius, jumping up from the sofa where he and Harry were lounging inside their penthouse suite. "Harry, we have to get a move on! C'mon, I want to get in a few more rounds of poker practice before it begins tomorrow at midnight!"

Meanwhile, Harry stared intently at the glass table in front of him. He had been in a sour mood following the scruffle involving Malfoy and Snape and rightly so. Malfoy's taunting words had brought to the surface memories and emotions of a past he had locked away in his mind to forget over time. Now, he felt guilty again at his inadequate abilities during those times to prevent casualties such as Neville and from what he could understand from Malfoy, Neville's parents.

His depressed musings paused when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Sirius scrutinizing him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Come Harry, let's be off," he said. Swallowing dryly and blinking thrice, Harry nodded and rose.

When the two finally exited the hotel and strode towards the awaiting limousine, thirty minutes had passed. They sat silently during the ride, both still bothered by the day's events, Harry moreso than Sirius.

Finally, the limousine came to a halt and through the tinted windows, Harry could make out the architectural elegance of the Monte Carlo Casino. Their chauffer opened the door and as they exited, he expressed, "_Au revoir, messieurs_."

Gazing up at the building as the pair walked, Harry let out a sigh. He was not in the proper state of mind today to gamble. He could feel Sirius's stare upon him but he did not respond by making eye contact. Instead, his eyes scanned the grounds. He was momentarily blinded by a flash of yellow at the corner of his right eye. Turning fractionally, he caught sight of a pair of blue eyes surrounded by long, flowing blond hair looking at him intently, with a mischievous twinkle. _No way, it's her!_

"You go on, Sirius. I don't really feel up to playing poker today." With that, Harry started jogging towards the woman.

"What?" Sirius inquired incredulously, turning to Harry. Then he caught sight of the cause of Harry's sudden flight and flashed an all-knowing grin. "I'll see you back at the hotel then!" he called before continuing towards the casino.

As Harry started making his way past a number of couples walking towards the casino, the blond woman began retreating too, her back facing him as she walked away. Frowning, he sped up further. _I'm not losing her today_, he thought fiercely.

"Hey," he called loudly as he neared her, "hey, come back!"

He stretched forward and grabbed her left elbow. As he pulled to swing her around, he was struck by the contrast between her smooth skin and his callused hand. When she faced him, he was once again mesmerized by her deep blue eyes that was complementing her short, shimmering blue dress.

Noticing that Harry's mind was currently vacant, she decided to start the conversation by asking innocently, "Oui?"

Shaken out of his stupor, Harry started incoherently, "I – um – well – I – erm," clearing his throat thoroughly before he finished lamely, "we've met."

She nodded slowly, as if she was talking to a child, and the corners of her mouth twitched showing her amusement.

"Yesterday," he supplied, horrifically thinking for a moment that she had perhaps forgotten about him and the events of the day before.

She nodded again, her smile growing wider, encouraging Harry to finish articulating his thoughts.

"And erm..." he rubbed his neck nervously, debating whether or not to broach the subject, "You're my Lady Luck."

She beamed at him. He was mortified; from the look on her face, she looked as though she would burst out laughing any moment at his inability to put together a proper sentence.

After a long pause, the beautiful blonde stated, "Walk with me."

"Oh – I – well – of course."

Harry brought his hands to his collar and attempted to loosen a tie that did not exist. He fell into stride with his Lady Luck as she strolled along the beach walkway. It was dark now and a slight breeze passed through, causing nearby trees to rustle slightly.

Trying to break the awkward silence between the two, Harry committed the cardinal sin of conversations, by stating the obvious. "So... you play poker, huh?"

"_Oui_."

"Are you competing in tomorrow's tournament?"

"It remains to be seen," Lady Luck replied airily.

Still walking in tandem along the wooden path, Harry looked at her oddly. "Shouldn't you know by now if you are going to be competing in the grand tournament?" he asked, quoting Sirius's term for the poker competition.

She stopped walking. Turning to him sharply with a Mona-Lisa smile, she cocked her head to one side; she asked adorably asked, "Are you hungry?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at the abrupt topic change, trying to ignore that cute pout of hers. "Not particularly. I'm assuming you are?"

She nodded.

"Well in that case," Harry said, "I suppose we'd better find a diner."

It did not take too long to find a good restaurant with his Lady Luck leading the way. Together, they entered the packed _La Rose des Vents_. Harry was bedazzled by the spectacular design of the restaurant. Nice and cozy, the place held an air of comfort as the expansive windows was wide open, allowing the pale moonlight enter and light up tables in a romantic manner. The smooth sounds of the ocean waves further enhanced the charm of the local restaurant.

"_Bon soir, madame et monsieur. Comment peux-je __ê__tre d'assistance __à__ vous?_" welcomed a waiter dressed in black and white.

"_Un table pr__è__s de la fen__ê__tre_," replied Lady Luck in fluent French.

The tall man bowed. "_Ah oui, suivez-moi, s'il vous plait_." He led Harry and Lady Luck to a luxurious table by the window, giving the duo a fantastic view of the lit-up beach.

Once they were seated opposite the table, he smiled knowingly. "_Je prendrai vos ordres momentainement_." With a nod, he left, leaving Harry fidgeting with the napkin set on the table while Lady Luck looked on impassively.

Harry took a moment to compose himself. He had handled women before and now should be no different. He should not have felt nervous or terrified of the woman sitting in front of him, no matter how gorgeous her exquisite hair was, or how magnificent her pale skin seemed to glow under the pale moonlight. Shaking his head to rid of those thoughts, Harry took a deep breath and asked, "You're uh – French, I take it."

She smirked, as if understand his obvious mental distress. "But of course, Harry Potter. Please tell me what I may do for you. After all, you did call for me to halt."

He rubbed the nape of his neck, grinning abashedly. "Yeah, about that... I just wanted to get to know you better after the events of last night. I mean, I hadn't even won a single hand until you came along and all of a sudden, my worst loss turned into my biggest victory for the night."

"_Oui_."

"And I – well I just can't see the connection. How is it possible that when you're around, I get lucky?"

She giggled cutely. "It's all part of the charm," she said with a small flourish.

He grinned despite himself. "Of that, I'm certain."

"But you are not very happy today, Harry – may I call you Harry?"

He flinched in surprise. _How does she know?_ "I've had a rather rough afternoon," he admitted quietly, averting his eyes around the restaurant so that he would not look at her face.

Her face dropped and she frowned. "You know, it's not good to bottle your emotions up. They only serve to bring hurt later."

He looked up suddenly and met her warm, blue eyes intensely. He let out a bitter laugh. "How many times have I heard that before?"

In spite of his gaze, she did not relent. "Then perhaps you should listen to what you hear," she said softly. "Let the pain out, it's only destroying you from the inside."

"And who am I supposed to let it out to? You, whom I had never even met until yesterday?" he asked fiercely.

"Someone you know better then. What about your godfather?"

Arriving at the crux of the problem, Harry finally admitted, "I," faltering slightly, "I don't want to burden anyone."

"You're not burdening anyone by expressing how you feel, Harry," she explained softly, reaching her hand across the table and resting it atop his.

The gentle feeling of her delicate hands rubbing over his ignited a strong feeling within Harry as he said, "Yes, I am! It's – it's complicated. You wouldn't understand. My best friends don't understand for Merlin's sake!"

"I am not your best friend," she pointed out, leaving a hint of a blush across her features.

Harry sighed, distracted by her soft touch and not noticing her blush. He found himself calming down despite his best efforts to glare at her petulantly. "How is it that you know exactly how to make me feel better?" he asked with a wry smile.

"That's just the way I am, part of my lovely charm, _non_?" she beamed. "Let us choose our meals, _maintenant. Oui?"_

He put his free hand over her wrist in a gesture of thanks before retracting both and grabbing the menu.

Within a few minutes, another waiter came around to their table. "Are your orders ready, _monsieur et madame_?" he asked in broken English.

"I'll take the _Poisson Scirocu_, thanks," Harry answered, training his eyes towards the waiter.

"_Et for ze madame_?"

"_Je veux le Poisson Mistrau_," Lady Luck replied.

"_Magnifique_. It will be ready _momentainement_." The waiter left, having written down both orders.

The awkward silence turned into a comfortable silence as the two understood each other better. Taking a sip from his glass of water, Harry said conversationally, "So, tell me about yourself."

"I was born in my family home around the outskirts of Lyon. It was such a wonderful place because the weather is always bright and sunny. To top that off, Beauxbatons, the school I went to, was near to my home," she began.

"Really? I know someone who went to that school."

"Yes, I'm sure you do."

"Tell me, do you happen to know Fleur Delacour?"

Lady Luck opened her mouth to answer but could not speak. She closed her mouth and stared at Harry calculatingly for a moment. He looked at her expectantly. Then she spoke, "Yes, I believe I do know her. She is the one who competed in the Triwizard Tournament held at Hogwarts a decade ago, is she not?"

Astonished, Harry replied, "Yes." Then he paused. "Hmm, speaking of her, you do bear some sort of resemblence to her. Are you by any chance rel - "

"Monsieur, your _Scirocu _meal has arrived," announced a female voice. Shifting his gaze from his Lady Luck, he saw a pretty waiter waiting beside the table patiently, with his meal held firmly on her right hand.

"Ah, _merci_," he told her as she placed the dish on the table. He flashed her a smile, making her blush as she went away. Looking back at his blonde companion, he was received with a set of raised eyebrows. He shrugged his shoulder playfully and smiled lopsidedly.

Soon after, Lady Luck's meal arrived as well and the two began to dine.

Once Harry gulped down the last bite of his finely grilled swordfish, Lady Luck spoke, "Now that you know a little about me, why don't you share a little of yourself? Other than the fact that you're the Man-Who-Lived and that you attended Hogwarts."

Harry did not speak for a while. He contemplated how much he should tell her. "Well," he began, "I play Quidditch on my free time and I work as an Auror now, or will anyway. I just graduated from the Auror Academy."

"How fascinating! I've heard quite a lot about your Quidditch exploits at Hogwarts, Mr. I-never-lost-a-match," she grinned mischievously. "Where do you play Quidditch now?"

"Oh, I hang out at my friend's place when I have the time. He just graduated too, you see. His family's got a decent clearing where we all play Quidditch for fun."

"That sounds fun. I played Quidditch at Beauxbatons too. I thought I would follow in your footsteps and be a seeker. I don't really have many siblings so even though my family owns a large castle, we don't really have enough people to play," she informed sadly.

"Do you have a particular league team you favour or do you just play?"

"France, sadly, does not truly have a standard Quidditch team like England. Our national players lack the finesse and motivation that your and other players display. The English Longbows would far outstrip the French Knights in a match."

Harry nodded. Although he knew that the French national team was lacking, he had not known that the small league teams were dismal too. He winced slightly in sympathy. He could only imagine how the French wizards and witches could bear with teams that only equalled the calibre of the Chudley Cannons.

"Well, Sirius, my godfather, and I are going to a Quidditch game tomorrow at 10 in the morning. If you're not doing anything, perhaps you would like to come with me? I'm sure I can scrounge an extra ticket from somewhere."

"Mr. Potter, are you asking me on a dat- "

"_Excuse moi, monsieur_. Here is your receipt. Have a pleasant evening!" declared the female waiter, setting a notebook on the table before giving the blonde a victorious look and turned away.

Noticing the fierce interchange of glares, Harry glanced at the blonde goddess sitting across from him, staring at him expectantly with a familiar pout. He rolled his eyes. "I'll pay of course," he said.

She flashed him a smile, warming his heart. Seeing that jealous waitress approaching their table, she quickly marked her territory. "Well then, thank you for a magnificent evening Harry. And of course, I would love to accompany you to tomorrow's game. How about we meet at the casino entrance in the morning at nine?" And with that, she stood up, leaned over the table and intensely kissed Harry, then fixed her clothes swiftly and walked away, leaving Harry gaping.

"Wait! You didn't tell me your name! What's your name?" he asked desperately but it was to no avail. She had exited the restaurant door and disappeared. _Stupid stupid stupid!_ He had been in her presence for such a long time and yet had forgotten to ask her name... again. He could not stay in a sour mood though.

Setting the amount written on the receipt with a twenty percent tip, he rose from the table, completely oblivious to the female waiter's attraction and exited the restaurant. He could not wait for tomorrow. Watching the Quidditch match with his Lady Luck would be most delightful. He felt a swooping sensation inside his stomach and he knew exactly what that meant. He was falling for this woman... hard.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey all, sorry for this huge delay but we've been soooo busy with our work. Trust us; with us having parents screaming that 95 is not good enough, we're up to our necks with homework/projects/tests/etc, et al. We're working as fast as we can dear readers so please enjoy our piece of literature! Read and review! Thanks

DISCLAIMER: We do not own in any shape or form the realm or characters of Harry Potter. Please don't sue us because we're poor enough as it is :D


	3. Saturday

**The Escape of Lady Luck – Chapter Three: Saturday**

"So Harry, ready to start this glorious day and finally catch that bird you've been after for all but two days?" asked Sirius as he casually strolled out of his room and leaned sideways on the door frame, facing Harry who was sitting upright on a sofa in the living room, staring unfocusedly in deep thought.

Looking up at Sirius with a solemn look, Harry asked, "Am I doing the right thing? I mean, I barely know anything about this girl except for what I found out last night – which wasn't much. Every single time I'm around her, she makes me act like a … bloody _hormone_-driven teenager walking past a group of Veela."

"Is she a good kisser?"

"_What_?" Harry's head shot from its previous state so fast that Sirius winced at the resounding crack. Nursing the back of his neck, Harry quickly looked away from Sirius and settled into a dreamy trance. "I never quite thought of it that way but yeah… yeah, she is…"

Hiding a grin, Sirius continued, "Given the chance, would you shag her tonight?"

With a dreamy look still plastered on his face, Harry started automatically, "Yeah, defin – _Sirius_!"

Sirius roared with laughter but it was cut short as Harry, glaring, waved his hand in a swatting motion, sending Sirius tumbling backwards onto the carpeted floor with a weak banishing charm.

"For a second, _just for a second_, could you listen to my misgivings and not twist them into something dirty?"

Noting his godson's downcast expression, Sirius walked over and sat down in a sofa across from Harry. After imitating a fish breathing for a couple of seconds, he finally responded, "Look Harry, I know that things may be going a bit fast for you and that you don't like to have strangers enter your circle of trust so soon. But sometimes, that's just how life is."

Pausing for a moment to let everything sink in, Harry said, "I don't know, Sirius. It all seems so organized and planned, like it was meant to be!" Realizing what he had just said, Harry exclaimed with a shocked face, "There wasn't a new prophecy involving me, was there?"

Sirius gulped and paled dramatically. Without meeting his godson's eyes, he said slowly, "There was…"

"_No_…" Harry looked as though he had been thoroughly punched in the gut.

"…not."

"Sirius! It's early morning and we're going to the Quidditch game in two hours. Do you have to scare the life out of me a thousand times in that time span?" Harry raged as his face flushed deep red with indignant anger.

Chuckling, Sirius responded, "No, but you're just that gullible. Your expressions are always so amusing. When you get worked up over something that simple, you remind me of your mother very much. She used to get flushed all the time. Did I mention that she was gullible too? In fact, let me tell you the story of how James first asked Lily out on a date. It all started when…"

_"Hey! Hey, wait for me!" hollered a raven-haired teenager as he sprinted out onto the Hogwarts courtyard filled with dozens of students, chasing a figure up ahead._

_Ignoring the ruckus of students around her as well as the boy, the object of the boy's fascination admired the beautiful morning, clutching her books and pieces of parchment to her chest with both hands and enjoying the idyllic atmosphere of the bright and sunny day. Calmly walking in the direction of an empty bench where she could tranquilly work on her Ancient Runes essay, she mentally calculated what the boy would want with her this early on a fine May day._

_Up to no good again, she thought with a little sigh. She truly could not be bothered with the concerned that would be undoubtedly presented her by her pursuer. If she had had it her way, such boys as the one tailing her would not exist in the world._

_"Finally! Are you deaf? You could have stopped and waited for me like any good person would," panted the boy as he caught up to her and matched her pace, taking heaving breaths in an attempt to fulfill his lung's requirements. "After all, who could resist my manly charms and suave personality?"_

_"Anyone with half a brain won't be fooled by your man-whore tendencies, Potter," she responded dryly without looking beside her. "I really don't have the time to deal with your petty issues right now. Can't you go and bother someone else?"_

_"My, my, aren't we the hostile one? And I've barely said a word. You know what, Evans? Since you're such a dear student according to Flitwick, you should really do yourself a favor and apply a cheering charm on yourself once in a while. Maybe then, you'd be less likely to gripe at my every word," James Potter said, fixating his spectacles firmly into place as he grinned sideways._

_Lily Evans, in all her auburn-haired glory, remained silent as she reached the wooden bench and sat down, placing her work material atop the table nearby. She expertly ignored the curious glances cast her way by several students who were within hearing vicinity of the conversation. __They can all just go to Hell… with him, she surmised with a dark frown._

_"Aw come on, Evans. I thought we were past the silent treatment phase," whined James as he sat down as close to her on the bench as he deemed safe before she would either blast him away or leave in a huff._

_"Potter, I really haven't got the time for you so bug–"_

_"I need your help."_

_"__What?" She finally turned to look at him. He was pouting slightly, making her roll her eyes. "I'm not going to fall for such a scheme again."_

_"No, you don't understand. We – I – I'm not planning to prank Sniv – err, Severus again," he hastily amended, remembering the time in his fourth year when he had used the pretense of wanting to make friends with Snape in order to get close enough to prank the Slytherin while he was socializing with Lily. The only indication that she had heard his case was the fractional increment he saw of her right eyebrow._

_"You know I'm rubbish at Potions. That new essay ol' Sluggy gave us on Felix Felicis has been giving me headaches. We – that is Sirius and I – wanted to ask for your help with it." Noticing her bemused expression, James added, "Do you think you can spare some of your precious time tonight on two men who are down on their luck in the field of Potions?"_

_Lily did not know whether to laugh at the thought of James Potter asking for help or to scowl at the knowledge that she was probably being led by James again. In the end, she involuntarily let out a chuckle. "Yeah, nice try. No."_

_"But Lily, I'm being sincere! And you always help Remus when he asks," James pointed out._

_"That's Remus, you can't compare yourself to him. Besides, who are you and what have you done with James Potter? The Potter I know would never in a million lifetimes ask for help – from anybody."_

_"Hey, that's not true. I've asked for help loads of times. Ask Remus how many times I've gone to him for help if you don't believe me," he defended._

_Lily sighed. "So let me get this straight, Potter. __You are asking for __my help with a bloody Potions essay that should have taken you less than an hour to finish."_

_James gaped for a second before closing his mouth. "Pretty much, yeah," he mumbled, nodding._

_What are you planning, Potter? Lily grimaced, suspicion rising. She opened her textbook and peered at the drawing of a variety of runes. She could feel his gaze on her as she continued identifying the runes on the page. Finally, after turning the page over, she looked back into his eyes. "When and where?"_

_James sighed visibly in relief, once more eliciting an eye roll from Lily. "Second floor unused classroom at the end of the west corridor. 7 PM sharp."_

_She nodded stiffly once. "Don't be late," she said before turning back to her work though try as she might, she could only think about the reason why Potter wanted her at the second floor classroom._

_"Yes! Thank you, thank you, and thank you! See you tonight then, Evans," shouted James as he ran off, to meet with his cohorts no doubt._

_Glancing back at his retreating figure as the sun shone brightly done upon where she sat, Lily thought to herself, __the things I do for that boy._

"How would you know what my mother was thinking at that moment?" questioned Harry suspiciously.

"Well actually, I don't," Sirius said, "But from what Lily told me about this day after the two were married for some time, this seems like a reasonable procession of thought for her then. Despite what people may or may not tell you, Harry, your mother didn't hate your father. She just… resented him – a lot – and was annoyed by his mere presence for a couple of years."

"How is that story even remotely related to how I resemble my mother?" asked Harry impatiently.

"Have you so little faith in your father's legacy? No, that's only the first part of three, kind of like that Star Wars trilogy you showed me last year. I still think Han Solo is the smoothest player out there," responded Sirius.

Exasperated, Harry stared at Sirius blankly and stated, "Part two please?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist. Merlin's balls, the kids today have no patience, none at all."

_"Alright, let's see what you have so far," said Lily as she entered the bland, dusty classroom and sat down. Almost immediately, she started pulling out her books from her bag._

_As he held his empty hands out, James sheepishly responded, "You're looking at it."_

_Lily raised her eyebrow. "I hope you don't expect me to let you simply copy my work, Potter. Remus may allow you to get away with that kind of stuff but I'm not Remus and __I don't like you."_

_James had opened his mouth to retort but closed it and calculated her for a moment. Then he said, "You don't like me?"_

_"Should I? I happen to like nice men, Potter, and __you are a bully," she replied as she continued withdrawing her potions textbook as well as supplemental books. "I hope you're ready to begin working because I don't have more than an hour to spare. Where's Black? I thought you said he'd be here."_

_"Err, he had other things come up," James answered vaguely, looking everywhere in the classroom but at her._

_"Other things – things that are more important than homework? As in wooing some eager girl for the night? Seriously, I can't believe I even bothered to accept your plea. Clearly, you – either of you – aren't interested in scraping an A in Potions," Lily spat, livid that she had agreed to this only to find that she had wasted her time._

_"Hey look, it's not like that. And I'm really sorry, Lily. It's just that I've been so busy with Quidditch and doing other things – with and without Sirius! __And I'll have you know that he isn't out trying to draw quick shag from an unlucky girl. He's helping Peter with something unavoidable," said James defensively._

_"Something?" Lily raised her eyebrows._

_"Something," James confirmed, clearly not willing to concede more information about Black's whereabouts._

_In an attempt to keep calm, Lily closed her eyes and started to take deep breaths while mentally visualizing creative ways to torture the insufferable bully who sat on the bench in front of her with his textbooks wide open but staring at her instead._

_"Stop that," she finally bit out after a minute of studying her book, looking for ways to help him write the essay._

_"Stop what?" James now rested his head on his hands casually as he continued to study her face with a slightly dreamy look._

_She bit her lips. "That. You're staring at me."_

_"I'm not staring," James asserted softly, not shifting his gaze even slightly._

_"Fine, what do you know about the limpwurt root?" The abrupt change in topic made James blink a few times but he remained in the same position, regarding her rather than the book._

_"It's…. limp?" he replied weakly. That was the wrong thing to say._

_"What the bloody hell have you been doing in class? Is there a reason I should give up __my valuable time for you just so that you can understand what you should have learned in class?" shouted Lily, her cheeks reddening from fury._

_Unfazed by her outburst, James shifted from his position and leaned back against his table. "Yeah well, Slughorn's an incompetent teacher."_

_"No, he's not!" Lily exclaimed, though this time her voice was softer. He had a point and she knew it, though there was no way he would trap her into conceding – she would not stoop to the level of stroking his already overinflated ego._

_"Evans, news flash. A, you're easily the best potions student in our year – Snivellus doesn't count, he sucks up to you, and b, you're in the Slug Club," James pointed out, grinning at her indignant look._

_"You're in it too," Lily said, after a moment of tense silence._

_"Yes, I am but that's to be expected and beside the point," James said as he rolled his eyes before adding, "The point is, those who do well in Slughorn's class don't necessarily have talent, just his favour – not that I'm saying you're incompetent, you're not."_

"I still don't see how this has anything to do with my personality even remotely resembling my mother's," remarked Harry, though he was certainly interested by Sirius's recount.

"You mean other than the fact that both of you are far too easy to tease?"

"I am not! And the moral of this story better not be that I'm as short-tempered as her. I don't snap that way at anyone, even Malfoy – I just ignore him… as much as possible."

"Right," replied Sirius skeptically. "But no, her anger management was always the best out of all of us. I remember James and I talking about that incident once and we agreed that it was probably 'that' time of the month for her. Or maybe that time of her life – the rebellious fiery teen girl. Still, a right firecracker in her own right, that girl. Wanna hear more or should we call it quits for now?"

Checking the time and seeing that it was half past seven, Harry said, "Might as well get breakfast first. I'm picking her up at nine so we'll have time to waste afterwards."

"Let's eat here, and order it up, will you? I can't be bothered to move from this comfortable position," Sirius grinned, setting his feet up and draped over the edge of the sofa.

Rolling his eyes, Harry walked to the telephone table, picked up a _Time_ magazine and threw it rolled up at Sirius. "How about we have some omelets and bacon for breakfast?"

"Anything is fine, just make sure to order some cranberry juice, yeah?" responded Sirius.

"Roger that," as Harry picked up the phone to call for room service.

_The two managed to work together civilly for just under an hour before sparks flew again. It was inevitable really. While two opposites work in harmony, they also clash often._

_"What the devil do spider eggs have to do with the Felix Felicis potion?" cried Lily. As she had originally expected, this session of tutoring had not gone smoothly at all._

_"Argh, I don't know!" exclaimed James in frustration, slamming his parchment down on the table as he received it from Lily._

_Lily gave him a patronizing glare. "What a waste of my time," she muttered._

_"Look, Evans – Lily. I don't give a damn about the function of spider eggs nor do I care about how limp a limpwurt root is. The reason I asked you to come here isn't because I needed help with my Potions essay, though it's clear that I do. I –"_

_"What?" Lily asked sharply. She could not believe what she was hearing. James had __purposely wasted her time. She did not care whether the day was Saturday or Wednesday. Wasting her time for no reason crossed a limit that she had not thought even James was capable of doing. So absorbed was she in her predicament that she had stopped thinking of the boy nearby her as Potter and rather as James._

_"I…" James halted again, clearly unsure if he ought to say the words forming on the tip of his tongue._

_Lily crossed her arms and glared at him in response._

_"I'd like another chance!" he blurted out, lurching to the front so that his face was close to hers._

_Despite a deep surge of anger that welled up inside her, Lily blushed. "What are you talking about?"_

_"Look," he was quick to explain, "I know I haven't been the best person to be around all these years. I've never gotten along with Snape, who is your oldest friend. But Lily, I'd like another chance. If nothing else, then to prove that I'm not who I once was. I've changed, Lily. You said that you'd think about it if I could change and I have."_

_Lily barely spared him a glance before slamming her books shut and stuffing them into her bag with violent force. __I don't have the time for this… nor the patience. She stood up roughly. "You've not changed at all, Potter. Wasting my time as though you own it. Being arrogant to those around you. You say you've become different but I've yet to see one good quality in you."_

_She briskly moved away from the table and started marching towards the door when she felt a hand grab her stray wrist and turn her around. Face still red, she turned to face James as he stood up as well and closed the distance between them. __Is that…, she found herself thinking before she shook herself out of the stupor. No, James Potter could never express any remorseful emotions. In all her six years of experience with him, not once had he ever looked sorry for his actions. She did not – could not – believe he had started now._

_James leaned down a little so that he and Lily were at eye level. "Please Lily," he pleaded. "You've known for a long time that I like you. I promise you that I am willing to change; I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn your trust – your respect. I won't bully anyone anymore. All I ask of you is one trip to Hogsmeade together. Please, I really like you… just one chance."_

_Lily stared into his eyes and found nothing but compassion. She could feel her resolve melting as James held her hand and caressed it softly. She tried to pull it back but he held on firmly, making sure to not hurt her in the process. "I…" she faltered._

_"Would you be so cruel?" he asked softly, not breaking eye contact with her._

_"I – I'm not cruel," she whispered. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes unexpectedly. Her lips quivered._

_"Then give me a chance," he pleaded._

_Lily's mind flashed back to all the times he had tormented her throughout the years, directly or indirectly. In doing so, she realized that he had never actually insulted her. He had only done his deeds in the hope that he could impress her, in his own twisted way. While she could not condone his methods, she could now acknowledge that he had never meant to hurt her. Unbidden, a tear streaked down her face._

_She blinked as she felt James's digit on her face, wiping the tear away. She looked down, not knowing why she felt so emotional just then._

_"You won't regret this, I promise," he said, as he gently lifted her chin. Another tear fell down, and another. James wiped each one away until Lily could bear it no longer._

_Lily sniffled and turned away so that James was now facing her back. She nodded slowly as she wiped away more tears. "One chance," she agreed quietly, her voice shaky due to the tears. "Don't blow it."_

_With those words, she strode to the door and out of the classroom, leaving a very satisfied, if a little misty-eyed, James Potter._

"And I think you know what happened after that," ended Sirius.

"All too well Sirius, all too well," sighed Harry.

* * *

"Damn Harry, if I were a girl in some alternate reality, I would totally have a crush on you by the way you're looking," remarked Sirius as he saw Harry walk out of his room.

"Thanks Sirius, I'd like to say that I had a good role-model in fashion."

"Your words do flatter me so, Harry. Now, remember the essential eight today when you're with that girl alone. Number one: always, and I mean always, protect the knight before making a move for the queen. You never know what will happen. Understand me?" asked Sirius in a very serious tone.

Ignoring the question, Harry posed a question of his own, "Do we have to go through this every time I go out on a date? Don't you think I've had enough to know the essential eight rules of dating by now?"

"Fine fine. Just go and have a nice day. I'll be around if you need me, just give me a shout yeah?" said Sirius, as he stopped leaning against the wall and joined Harry to walk to the door to their suite.

Donning his stylish jacket, Harry looked at this godfather and narrowed his eyes. "Sirius, are you going to seek out Anne?"

Pausing mid-step, Sirius turned and asked, "How'd you know that?"

"You wound me, Sirius. Do you truly take me to be blind?"

Sirius frowned at him. Chuckling, Harry pointed at Sirius' bedroom. "I saw all your little notes at which hotel she might be staying at, pseudo-stalker you."

Properly embarrassed, Sirius confessed, "Alright, you got me. I gotta play too, you know. Give me a break."

"Okay well, let's see if we can meet up after the Quidditch match. I'll see you later, Sirius," said Harry as he walked out the hotel room. Sticking his head back in, Harry remarked, "Remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do," and promptly disappeared down the hallway.

Shaking his head, Sirius muttered to himself, "Well that doesn't leave me many options, does it?"

* * *

The day was perfect for Quidditch with the sun's bright and radiant rays splashing across Monaco. Light and fluffy clouds were spread across the brilliant blue sky. Despite all the magnificence of his surroundings, Harry decided that the most beautiful thing in his field of vision was the sight of his Lady Luck walking towards him.

She was wearing a white ensemble consisting of an elegant cardigan and a pair of flawless Capri, complementing her long and shimmering golden locks that were flowing in the slight breeze. Mesmerized, Harry could not look away from the angel walking towards him.

Giggling at his state, the object of Harry's affections lightly tapped his cheeks as he landed back to reality. "_Mon __dieu__,_ Monsieur Potter, are you like this whenever you see a pretty girl walk towards you?" she teasingly asked.

"Only if they are as captivating as you," answered Harry solemnly. "I'm afraid you've already stolen my heart and made me your everlasting servant."

"Well then, as my first command as your mistress, I am ordering you to allow me to have the time of my life. Understood?"

"My will is to serve, mistress," said Harry with a straight face.

The blonde woman could not keep up the role anymore and burst into laughter, allowing her chiming laughs to grace the world around her. "Well, let's hail a taxi now and get to the stadium. Will you do the honors?"

"Alright," replied Harry. "Taxi!" he called.

A bright yellow car pulled up and the two hopped in. "Stade Louis II, _s'il vous plait_," said Harry.

"Magnifique, Monsieur Potter. Well versed in French as well? I don't think I can let you go now, especially after your impressive showing in humor and different languages," she remarked.

Cracking a smile, Harry rubbed the back of his head and said, "Well, that's a third of my French vocabulary. The other parts are _Merci_ and _Bonjour_."

Dramatically putting a hand to her forehead and pretend to faint, the blonde bombshell exclaimed, "And here I thought you were a man of all men - _un chevalier_."

Smiling at the subtle complement, Harry looked out the window of the taxi, taking in the scenery of the street. Local citizens were all calmly strolling, going about their daily routine. Many were glancing at the wares of the kiosk merchants while others were sipping their drinks on a restaurant patio. The normalcy of the street was what entranced Harry, who longed to be just a face in a crowd.

"A knut for your thoughts?"

Sighing and looking into Lady Luck's clear blue eyes, Harry responded, "Nothing much, just admiring the scenery."

"That's nice," came the response as she put her head on his shoulder. "Just don't think too much. You'll get a headache," she cutely remarked.

Cracking another smile, Harry just stayed silent, enjoying the peaceful moment. _What did I do to deserve her_, he asked himself. His Lady Luck was everything he had imagined the perfect woman would be – beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and above all, understanding.

* * *

"That will be 48 Euros please," announced the driver, shaking the pair back down to reality.

Grabbing at his wallet, Harry pulled out 60 Euros and handed over the money. "Keep the change."

"Ah, _merci_."

Helping his female companion out of the taxi, Harry finally took a look at the stadium. Surrounded by buildings, the stadium still managed to stand out and make a firm impression of architectural magnificence. Nine spectacular arches lay above the main entrance, sharply contrasting with the bright blue sky.

"It is a beautiful piece of architecture, _non_?" the blonde woman asked.

"Yes well, the French are known for the beautiful architecture and women," countered Harry.

Chuckling at the harmless slight, the two walked into the stadium looking for their seats.

"You know," Harry began softly as he followed her in their search, "I still haven't had the luxury of knowing your identity."

Without turning back, she responded, "All will be revealed in time, Harry. For now, let us enjoy the game and each other's company."

Harry imagined he could see her almost-ignorant, blissful smile as she said this. He opened his mouth to speak again but he never got a chance to vocalize his thoughts as a hooded figure roughly pushed past him and his Lady Luck. "Move it, scarhead!" the man yelled brusquely, not bothering to stick around after the encounter.

"Mon dieu, the hooligans at Quidditch matches are simply atrocious. Wouldn't you say that as well, Harry?" the woman asked.

Harry didn't respond. _Now where have I heard that before?_

"Scarhead?" he frowned. "No one calls me that except for – Malfoy! What the hell is he doing here?"

Seeing Harry's distress, the blonde woman grabbed his hand and pulled him over to their designated seats. With a passing curious glance at the hooded figure now several rows above them, she consoled, "Forget about it, Harry. I'm sure it was just for some petty reason. He does not seem like the bright bulb out of the bunch."

"Ah, you're probably right," conceded Harry as he watched the players fly out of their respective tunnels.

* * *

"And Monaco wins the match! What a catch from seeker Patrice Evra as he pushed his Firebolt Mk-II to its limit and brushed off the opposing seeker in their duel for the snitch! Simply scintillating, Quidditch folks! I hope to see you folks next week as Monaco takes on Paris Saint-Germain, a battle for the top two positions! Until then, good bye and have a wonderful day."

"It's a good thing this isn't an international match. That was a disgraceful showing! I saw the snitch at least three times before either of the seekers made any move. Their positioning was all wrong; they should have penetrated through the middle and then diverged out to the side and above to get a full view of the stadium," exclaimed Harry as he dissected the match.

Smiling at her partner's words, Lady Luck pulled Harry up out of his seat and began to exit the stadium. "_Oui_, they would not have stood a chance in a match against you," she told him fondly, grabbing his arm. "Let's forget about those subpar athletes and focus on something more interesting."

As the couple entered the foyer of the stadium, Harry was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and pulled back, detaching him from Lady Luck. Years of training kicked in and Harry immediately retaliated, twisting underneath the arm of his assailant and twisting the aggressor's wrist with his left hand even as he flicked his right wrist, beckoning for his wand. Pushing his assailant to the floor using an arm bar with his wand pointed at offender's head, Harry glared. Other spectators around them barely paid a glance as they exited.

"Had enough yet?" asked a familiar dry voice beneath him.

"Sirius?"

"The one and only," came the muffled reply.

Sheepishly, Harry released the pressure on the person beneath him and holstered his wand. "Sorry about that. You know I don't like being surprised."

"Yeah," the man groaned, flexing his body. "Tell that to my back next time."

Harry frowned. "Yeah well, if you –"

Ignoring Harry, Sirius grabbed his arm and said to Harry's companion, "Sorry, I need to borrow your boyfriend for a quick second! Thanks for understanding, love," before leading him further away, leaving a bemused Lady Luck.

Once Sirius had led him a ways away, Harry flung himself out of the older man's reach gruffly. "What's your bloody problem? I'm on a damn date! You can't just come like this and attempt to drag me away." After taking a deep breath, he looked into the serious face of his godfather and sighed. "Sorry, hormones and all. Okay, what's the problem?"

"You remember yesterday where we fought with Snivellus and the inbred twat? Well, the twat in question must have used his family connections and got the ministry involved. They've sent officials outside the stadium, who, as we speak, are waiting for you to exit."

Softly swearing under his breath, Harry glanced back at his date, waiting dutifully for him with only a small crinkle marring forehead to indicate her wariness of the situation. "I - what about her? We can't get her involved."

Understanding Harry's concern, Sirius paused for a moment, thinking. "Look, what about if you take your date to the players' dressing rooms and sneak out through their entrance? The ministry officials probably won't be looking at the players and you've got enough pull with the public to make them help you out."

"It's good, but what about you? I can't have you at Scimgeour's mercy."

"Especially after what you did to his wife during the Christmas party," added Harry dryly.

"_We_ promised that it wouldn't ever be mentioned again! And it's not my fault that she hasn't had a good lay in her life; a good dose of Sirius was exactly what the healer ordered."

"You may have two heads but the one on top seems non-existent at crucial times," said Harry. "You take her and leave through the players' exit. I'll go deal with Scimgeour and see what he wants. Let's meet back at our suite and we'll go from there."

Not waiting for a response, Harry dragged Sirius back to his Lady Luck. "Sorry," he apologized hastily. "Something came up and I need to take care of it immediately. Go with Sirius. I'll be in contact as soon as possible."

"I'm not an idiot, Harry so don't treat me like one. What is really going on?" questioned the blonde.

He looked at her for a moment and could sense nothing but honest curiosity and righteous anger. Moving his hand through his hair, Harry glanced at Sirius and gave an almost imperceptible nod, sighed and confessed, "Look, we're in this mess right now because some people attacked us yesterday and the ministry found out about it. Now, we have two choices. Either Sirius and I walk out of here and get arrested, or you go with Sirius and exit through the players' entrance while I stall them."

Sirius abruptly grabbed Lady Luck and walked against the flow of the crowd. The immediate struggle that ensued made Harry narrow his eyes slightly. The counters she was applying to Sirius's hold reminded him strongly of the ones he himself knew, that he had learned at the Auror Academy. She stopped struggling after a moment however and looked back, seeking Harry's eyes. They met and Harry tried to put as much reassurance into his gaze as possible. Glumly, he turned away from her. "Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Sadly, that man is always me."

* * *

"Look, I know you're worried but really, it's Harry. He's faced much worse than some auror trainees and the Minister for Magic. The best thing to do right now is to relax. Champagne?" Sirius asked airily.

Resembling a tense tiger, Lady Luck exploded, "What kind of a guardian are you? Your charge is about to wander into another dangerous situation where at best, he'll be turned into an effigy in wizarding media, and at worst, sent to that horrid prison you call Azkaban."

Unfazed by her concern, Sirius calmly handed her a glass of wine and replied, "Harry can take care of himself. It's not worth being worried at every stupid action he takes. If that were the case, I'd already have enough heart attacks for an obese person's entire lifetime – and I'm only 43!"

Stifling a guilty giggle, she pulled her glare down from Sirius's face abashedly and took a dainty sip of his offered wine. "You are really a piece of work. To be able to keep a cool head in a situation like this, I commend you."

Upon hearing these words, Sirius grinned and responded casually, "Just so you know, I'm not one for robbing the cradle. Especially if the cradle in question contains the mysterious love interest of my godson."

"Oh, the cool and suave Sirius Black turning down an open invitation? The legends back home must have your reputation woefully wrong," she bantered, but the humour died almost instantly amidst her concern for Harry. "What do you think they'll do to Harry?"

"Harry has enough power and skill to take down the entire of wizarding Britain if he chooses. He knows that as does the Ministry. Scrimgeour, er- our Minister, knows better than to trap Harry into a corner because then the prey would turn into the predator. In my opinion, I think that this is some political ploy being pulled by a person behind the scenes. We may never know what the objective behind this ploy is but if it was to annoy Harry, it appears the ploy was successful."

Looking pensive, the blonde paused for a moment, processing the information. Then, she brightly responded, "Well, looking at the positives, it is never dull when one is with Harry. Which way is the bathroom?"

Sirius pointed her in the direction of the loo and stared after her as she went. When the door to the loo closed, his thoughts turned to Harry and he silently prayed for his godson's well being.

* * *

Harry was escorted into a rather nondescript room by two aurors, who flanked him. The walls were a dusty white; he could see dark spots where the accumulated dirt had gotten so thick that not even cleaning charms could completely remove them. Just past the center of the room lay an old, if sturdy, brown desk. Beyond it, a man with a beard resembling a lion's mane sat on a swivelling chair, hands pressed together in thought. To the side, embers burned in the fireplace, giving what little light to which the room was exposed. Harry sent the fire a curious glance; above the center of the room, an ill-maintained chandelier hung down. Light could easily have brightened the room from there.

Frowning, Harry strolled across the room, flicking his wrist to draw his wand out. In front of the desk, he waved his wand in a swishy motion, conjuring a plush armchair, into which he sat, staring bluntly at the man across him.

"Ah Harry Potter, how are you today? I'm afraid I've come to you under inauspicious circumstances. I heard you graduated from the Auror Academy with the highest marks in your class. I must commend you on your stellar performance. We – the Ministry, that is – eagerly –" British Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour's welcome speech was cut short as Harry spared him but a glance before interrupting rudely.

"What is it exactly that you want, sir? Unlike you, I have a stunning girl waiting for me to continue our date. Must you keep me away from that?"

Scrimgeour's primly pruned mustache twisted as his facial expression turned into a sneer. "Understand this, Potter. The world is not at your disposal to destroy and disrupt. I have before me an official report stating that Harry Potter and Sirius Black were seen duelling in public with muggles around. How arrogant are you?"

"Let's get some basic principles down, Minister. To duel, as you put it, an opponent is needed, correct? Who exactly was it that I was duelling? Could it be that your official report comes from the same person who has seemingly lined your pockets with gold and future favours?"

Sputtering indignantly at the Harry's accusation, Scrimgeour turned a dangerous shade of purple, his face almost resembling that of Harry's Uncle Vernon. "Let's get one thing straight, Potter. I do _not_ accept bribes of any kind. Nor do I accept such accusations. You'd do well to remember it!"

"What did Malfoy and Snape ask you to do?" Harry asked indifferently, ignoring Scrimgeour's previous reply.

"The people you are speaking of did not – nor could they – ask me to do anything. I am my own man and play to my own agenda. Are we clear?" asked Scrimgeour, standing up abruptly. To Harry, the man did not look imposing. "Take note that I have eyes and ears everywhere, Potter. I'm watching your every move."

"Oh? I am still curious as to why you would listen to Snape and Malfoy, both known former death eaters, over me. Perhaps you may be your own man and have your own agenda, yet you are a mere chess piece for others. Keep in mind that all the world is a stage, Minister," retorted Harry. "But now, I must digress. You know, I thought that Snape and Malfoy were just being petty and wanted to start another playground spat. Now that the ministry is taking action, I'm wondering what the motive is behind all this. After all, the two goons yesterday wouldn't inform the ministry anything unless they were ordered to do so... and they only take orders from one man. I'm sure you know where I'm going with all of this, Scrimgeour."

"Listen to me closely and carefully. The Minister for Magic does not bow down nor serve any other person. Not you and certainly not D - "

"You will do well to remember that threatening me is bad for your personal health! Behind this handsome face is a trained assassin, capable of vanquishing Voldemort and many others. Strangely, most people seem to somehow forget this fact. Odd, isn't it, how we're in your office and yet others are listening. Isn't that right, Dumbledore?" injected Harry as the flames of the fireplace to the right of Scrimgeour's desk went out suddenly, leaving the room in perpetual darkness. Scrimgeour turned swiftly and pointed his wand at the fireplace, his eyes flicking between the fireplace and Harry narrowly.

"I believe that our time here has come to an end," Harry said. "Perhaps I may suggest apprehending Snape and Malfoy and allowing them to testify under veritaserum? You might get more information out of their slimy tongues than I could ever give you. After all, I'm being followed like a wanted fugitive and they certainly cannot be trusted. Well, I'd say it was a pleasure but I've been raised with morals teaching me not to lie. Have a good day, Minister!" With that, he spun on his heel and walked out the door, leaving behind three surprised men in the dark.

* * *

"Well, that's certainly interesting. That doesn't answer our problem now though. What are Snape and Malfoy up to?"

"I don't know, Sirius. I'm not even certain I want to find out. I've had enough exposure to them to last me a lifetime!" Harry retorted. They, along with Lady Luck, were lounging in the living room of the penthouse suite. Harry had just before narrated to Sirius the conversation in the room at the stadium.

"I agree with you, Harry. I don't think it's a good idea for you to investigate those two," Lady Luck said, her expression thoughtful as she bit her lower lip gently. To herself, she muttered quietly, "_Je ne veux pas vous perdre dans cette bataille_."

"That's right," Sirius agreed, sending an appreciative look towards her. "We came here to enjoy your graduation and have a good time at the casino. No more detective work for the next while!"

Harry smiled at the two warmly for their gestures in trying to lighten the mood. "But the worst part was that Dumbledore was listening in on that conversation as well. What would he be doing there?"

Lady Luck sprang to attention. She asked, "Albus Dumbledore was spying on you and the British Minister for Magic for a situation as minuscule as you and Mr. Black breaking the Statute of Secrecy?"

Sirius was also staring curiously at him over this piece of previously unshared information. "Dumbledore, you say? How can you be sure, Harry?"

Harry sent his godfather an incredulous look expectantly. He saw the light dawn on Sirius's face an instant later.

"Right, forgot that you could sense others' auras nearby."

Over the next few minutes, an uneasy silence settled upon the room. Sirius, as usual, was the one to break it. "On a lighter note, I noticed a poster on one of the stadium's walls. Something about a maze of spells. Sounds like something fun for couples," he stated, hinting strongly with his voice and eyes at Harry and the blonde woman.

Harry looked at his Lady Luck inquisitively, asking whether or not she wanted to go. She shrugged in reply, as though to say she could care less as long as the time was spent together.

"Right then," Harry addressed, standing up. "I'd better go change into something a little more appropriate for a maze."

* * *

"_Le __Labyrinthe__ des Sortileges_... nice name, isn't it?" remarked Harry as he and his Lady Luck arrived at an area that resembled an amusement park in size. Imposing green hedges dominated the view as each wall was a minimum height of ten meters, blocking the rays of the reddening sunlight and casting the ground into shadow. The couple approached a nearby booth, where there was a small line of people who sought entrance to the maze.

"I have heard of this place before. There are puzzles and other riddles to solve in order to progress further into the maze, I believe," said the blonde, eyeing the dark pathway that resembled the entrance vaguely. "You would not be planning any nefarious deeds against an innocent victim like me in some dark corner, would you?"

Cracking a smile, Harry raised his hands up in mock surrender. The expression on his face gave the impression of a misinterpreted soul indicating, _Who, me_?

"_Bon soir et bienvenue, madame_! _Pour deux_?" asked the receptionist at the toll booth.

"_Oui, vingt-trois Euros_?" responded the blonde in kind, handing over the money.

"_Nous espérons que c'est le fun pour vous_!" The receptionist motioned for them to pass the booth.

Entering the maze, the two immediately had to choose which direction to turn to. "Well, using a point-me spell kind of defeats the purpose, I propose we head left," stated Harry.

An eyebrow elegantly arched, Lady Luck turned to Harry and replied, "_Non_, have you never heard the proverb saying _When in doubt, turn right_?"

Harry grinned. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to your every demand and simply reply, 'Yes, dear'?"

Smiling mischievously, the blonde softly patted Harry's cheeks and said, "I'm glad you've got such a great understanding of your role in our relationship, dear." With a flourish, she held out her hand. When Harry relented by holding her proffered hand, she promptly began to drag him to the right.

They followed the narrow, dark path down until they came upon a sphinx, detailed after the great statues in Egypt. Harry had a sudden sense of foreboding as his mind flashed back to his experience in the Triwizard tournament in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Enshrouded by shadow, the atmosphere of the immediate area was quite downcast and heavy, further resembling the maze all those years ago on the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. "Answer this riddle and I shall let you pass," came the deep voice of a speaker behind the sphinx. Harry was suddenly reminded that this was but a muggle representation of a sphinx and was not an enchanted guardian in truth. "I am a builder. Buyers purchase my stock but do not use it. Users use my stock but they cannot perceive their use of it. What do I build?"

Harry lost all the color on his face as he paled. He felt himself go stiff as a board and he vaguely heard Lady Luck talking to him in consideration. "Oh, this one is a tough one. Resembles the one you had to pass in the Triwizard tournament," she chuckled. "Hmm, let's see. Buyers purchase my stock... but do not use it... life? No no..."

_Strong winds buffeted Harry, making him shiver. He gazed out the small, open windows placed on the corridor where he currently hid. Torrents of rain fell down on the well manicured lawn of Malfoy Manor, which glistened even in the perpetual darkness that the storm created, despite the enchanted lamps stuck on the walls of the building that gave light to the grounds below. The corridor upon which he crouched was not well lighted, instead relying on the natural shine of the moon to brighten the area via the numerous mirrors that adorned the side wall._

_The gray sky and downcast atmosphere epitomized Harry's emotional state. He had come in stealth with the hope that he would be able to rescue his friend, Neville Longbottom, but he was quickly losing hope. He had passed the cellar where he knew most prisoners were kept on his way to where he crouched now; he had seen nothing but the unseeing eyes and the mutilated corpses of various prisoners. He shut his eyes to drown out the pain he felt at being forced to witness such a tragic sight. Many of those dead in the rotten cellar had been muggleborn students, some of whom he had known at Hogwarts. A single tear escaped his left eye as he strengthened his resolve to find Neville. There would be justice delivered today and he would rescue Neville from the clutches of the monsters who occupied Malfoy Manor._

_He flicked his wrist and his wand jumped into his hand. His fingers tightened around the grip and with his jaws clenched, he stood up briskly and began walking onward to where he knew other large storage rooms._

_Soon thereafter, he reached a door. His left hand reached out to wring the doorknob when he suddenly felt a stinging sensation in the palm of his left hand. Silently, Harry berated himself for his foolishness. Of course the door would be cursed, so as to keep out intruders. He pointed his wand at the knob and jabbed it. The door knob gave off an eerie green glow amidst the darkness of the corridor and Harry knew it was cursed. Swallowing thickly, he whispered, "Confringo."_

_The doorknob shattered into thousands of shards and the door opened inwards with a whine. As he entered cautiously, Harry was immediately blasted by the strong stench of decay and age-old urine. He wrinkled his nose in disgust but it was no use. He barely managed to rein in the contents of his stomach as he came upon the horrible sight of skeletons kept isolated in prison-like cells._

_Two particular corpses caught his attention and he had to avert his eyes quickly from the perversion that met his eyes. A man and a woman lay with unseeing eyes. Their faces were so brutally mutilated that he could only tell of their gender by their sexual organs – or what was left of them. Dried blood caked the countless scabs that protruded from various parts of their body as well as the ground beneath them where much of the blood lay in a dried pool. Once more, Harry closed his eyes to shut out the pain he felt. How could anyone be so savagely violated? How could the death eaters torture someone so as to leave their victim completely unrecognizable? How could they desecrate the bodies of their victims so?_

_Harry choked back the threatening sobs as his wand arm hung uselessly at his side. There would be time for mourning these people later. There would be time for raging at Dumbledore and his chess-like manoeuvres later. These thoughts gave Harry the strength he needed to lift himself from his rest against the bars. He tried to ignore the blood beneath his feet as he trudged quietly towards the door at the end of the cells._

_As he neared the door, Harry paused to the sound of hysterical laughter. He saw red; he could recognize that laughter and the following babyish voice anywhere. Bellatrix Lestrange._

_"Is the little Longbottom enjoying my hospitality?" Bellatrix cackled. "Crucio!"_

_No, Harry roared inside his mind as he was forced to listen to the piercing screams of his friend. Tears glistened in his eyes, threatening to fall again. He would not let Neville be tortured into insanity to suffer the same fate as his parents! He checked the doorknob for spells. This time, it did not glow. Sighing in relief, he grabbed the knob with his left hand and twisted, wand positioned in front him with his right hand. Nothing happened._

"_No, no, no!" he whispered fiercely. The screams had stopped now and Bellatrix's laughter resumed._

"_Our guest of honour," Bellatrix mocked. "Would you like some more entertainment?"_

"_Hmm," she pretended to contemplate. Then she let out an evil chuckle. "Yes, let's see if you can survive this. Ickle Longbottom, I want to see how you fare when you can't breathe! Diffindo!"_

_Harry's blood froze as he suddenly heard gurgled sounds from his friend. Stepping back, he said, "Reducto!"_

_The jet of red light sped towards the knob but as soon as it connected, it bounced back and Harry had to twist suddenly as the light passed by him and blew a hole in the ceiling. Debris fell down around him but Bellatrix seemed not to hear on the other side of the door as she continued to take sick pleasure in torturing Neville._

"_No, boy!" she screamed. "You can't die just yet! No, I've got more plans for you. Episkey!"_

_She continued, "Your parents are already quivering in excitement, or is that pain? And to think you were the one that caused them such grief, making them cry blood. I personally liked that touch. Didn't you, boy? Tell me, how did it feel? How did it feel to murder your own parents?"_

_Consumed by rage, Harry continued his efforts to unlock the door to no avail as his spells all deflected back towards him, causing more damage in the cells. He could hear the deep gasps as Neville struggled to breathe properly, his jugular vein having been cut open and healed again. "Go to hell!" Neville croaked._

_Bellatrix laughed hysterically once more. "Foolish whelp! You waste your last words trying to insult me? Hmm, I think you need to be taught another lesson. What do you think, my dear Rodolphus?"_

"_Of course I agree, Bella," Rodolphus Lestrange's eager voice rang out._

"_I think he needs to learn the meaning of suffering. Don't you? Let's try for the vein again, shall we? Diffindo!"_

_Harry froze, unable to bear any more of the pained struggles of his friend. He shook violently as rage emanated from him and permeated the surroundings, creating a sizzling atmosphere._

_Bellatrix's bored voice came through once more. "I think I've had enough. Episkey! Alright, Longbottom. I've decided to have mercy on you. Are you ready to die? Any last words?" she asked, but did not give Neville a chance to respond. "I didn't think so. Avada –"_

_She was unable to finish the killing curse as Harry finally blasted the door open. She fearfully looked at the intruder. "Potter," she gasped._

_Without waiting for her to recover from his sudden appearance, Harry made a flinging motion with his wand at Bellatrix and sent as powerfully as he could, "Stupefy!"_

_The older woman didn't stand a chance and was hurled back several feet from her crouching position, wand flying away out of control. Harry was moving before she landed with a thud; three beams of sickly orange zoomed past where he had stood, through the door where distinct explosion sounds rumbled. He ducked another purple jet as he raced behind the nearest recliner for temporary cover. No doubt Rodolphus would be looking for revenge; the grim thought gave him sick satisfaction. He knew with crystal clarity in his mind that this night would end with him ending one or both of the Lestranges' lives._

_The sofa he was hiding behind ignited, causing him to leap back; he immediately conjured a material shield. Casting a normal shield would be suicide in this close and hostile space. Two killing curses struck the metal shield, and it rapidly began melting under the power. Harry flicked his wand at the useless shield, transfiguring it hastily into a poorly defined wolf and sent it leaping at the general direction of the source of one of the killing curses._

"_You were foolish to come here tonight, Potter," someone said as Harry weaved his way around more deadly spells. He recognized the speaker as Yaxley, a highly ranked Death Eater who had claimed a fair few Aurors' lives._

"_What did you hope to accomplish? You think you can save your pathetic friend?" taunted Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus' brother. The man chortled, "He'll be lucky if he survives the ho –"_

_Harry silenced the man with a Sectumsempra to the neck. Rabastan stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide and making gurgling noises before collapsing. He sidestepped another curse and rapped himself with his wand to disillusion himself when he heard a loud bang behind him. He was suddenly thrown forward and knocked to the carpet face first as the wall behind him crumbled, showering the room with debris. He knew his disillusionment charm hadn't worked when a spell landed a few inches from his face. He winced as flying shrapnel cut his face and other exposed areas of his upper body._

_Rolling as he turned, Harry's heart sank as he witnessed a murky brown spell heading toward him. Knowing he didn't have time to deflect the spell with his wand, he desperately thrust his left hand forward in an attempt to muster a shield – any shield._

_It was too late. The spell smashed through his weak shield and ploughed into his wand arm, tossing his wand aside useless and immediately forming an expanding black spot on his forearm skin. Harry screamed in pain as the unknown spell sent excruciating pain through his nerves. Despite his pain, he managed to see a green glow jutting from the end of an enemy Death Eater's wand._

_In a horrible instant, he knew he was outmatched; he would not survive. _I'm so sorry, Neville_, he thought helplessly at the still-writhing boy across the room near a lit fireplace._

"_No!" he heard Rodolphus scream. The incoming green light was deflected away from Harry. "No, he's mine! He killed my wife and brother; he's mine!" the man raged._

"_The boy's too dangerous," Harry's would-be killer retorted._

"_No, the boy isn't to be killed. The Dark Lord would not be pleased. We shall present him the boy and when we do, we will be rewarded beyond our wildest imaginations!" Yaxley growled._

"_To hell with the Dark Lord's wishes! Potter dies today – by my hands," Rodolphus shouted angrily, advancing menacingly towards Harry. "Crucio!"_

_Harry writhed on the ground helplessly and in immense pain. The ever-growing wound on his arm grew larger and its pain was compounded by the Unforgivable curse. It was lifted after a moment and as Harry panted in relief, he caught a murderous glint in Rodolphus' eye. The green beam came a split second later and having expected it, Harry barrel-rolled forward with a monumental effort._

_That was all it took for the other Death Eater. Harry knew he could not avoid the oncoming killing curse. He glanced at Rodolphus and saw the man raising his wand desperately but Harry knew that the curse could not be stopped this time. In that moment, Harry found the shatterpoint to the situation. With barely a twitch, he whispered, "Accio Lestrange."_

_For a second, he was aware of the green light of the killing curse heading his way as well as Rodolphus, who had been caught off guard by his wandless summoning charm. Then, he felt himself lifted violently from his position and he knew no more._

"-rry? Harry! Are you okay, Harry? Talk to me, please!" exclaimed the frantic looking blonde as she took in his state of stiffness and his pale face that she could just see in the darkness.

Still not fully integrated back to reality, Harry whispered under his breath, "... A coffin."

"Pardon? A coffin?"

"That is the correct answer; you may pass," spoke the voice behind the sphinx, startling Harry and Lady Luck.

"Harry, are you okay? You just spaced out for a second there and you were really pale. Gave me such a fright," she ranted.

"Huh?" Harry put eloquently as he shook his head to clear his momentary confusion. Sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "I'm really sorry. I was just lost in some not so pleasant memories there. I-I'm fine now."

Giving him a pointed look, she commented, "Your version of 'I'm fine' is just a lie wrapped in different words."

Feeling like he had ruined everything, Harry quickly tried to apologize. "Look, I'm really sorry but I think it's best if we don't continue on this maze. You must be really upset with me. I've ruined both our attempts at a date today," he said, looking away.

Vehemently shaking her head, she brought Harry's face to look at her and denied, "_Non_! I am not upset with you at all, Harry! And you haven't ruined our chances at a relationship." She smiled shyly at him.

There was silence for a moment before Harry spoke. "You're really something special, you know that?" he remarked reverently, eliciting a blush from his date. Suddenly, a fantastic idea occurred to him. "Hey look, there is a poker tournament taking place tonight and well... if you don't have any plans for tonight or tomorrow, perhaps you would like to accompany me as my date?"

Turning to Harry and giving him an impish grin, she replied, "A promising proposition for sure, being the date of Harry Potter at a high-profile poker tournament in Monaco. Then again, by accompanying you, I'll be scrutinized by the British media, and we both know how petty they can be."

"So it's a 'no' then?" asked Harry, crestfallen.

"Not exactly. I can guarantee that you'll see me at the tournament. However, I'm afraid I must decline on your tempting offer to attend as a date. Rest assured though, Lady Luck will be there for you when you need her," she replied as she stepped closer to Harry. "Now, I think we both deserve a rest before we tackle tonight's events. Would you like to meet at the casino later? And I should hope you don't make trouble in the short time span."

Grinning despite the rejection, Harry moved forward to hold the beautiful blonde in his arms and smartly stated, "I don't go looking for trouble; trouble always seems to find me."

Chuckling, the blonde replied, "I thought that you would have some suave and sophisticated lines for situations like these. Not some cheesy line a comic book superhero would tell their admirers."

"Well, did it work on you?"

"I guess you could be considered a comic book hero, and I also would guess that I'm an admirer. Hmmm, well done Mr. Potter, I am officially entranced with you."

"Good, because I'd hate to lose such an amazing human being like yourself," Harry said softly as he bent down to capture her lips with his in a delicate but promising kiss.

Extracting herself from their embrace moments later, she leaned upwards and planted a chaste kiss on his lips and then whispered, "See you there, Mr. Potter."

Watching her move back and apparate away, Harry looked up to the fading sun's rays and smiled up to the heavens, before disapparating himself.

* * *

**AN:** Alright, we're back. The second flashback of this chapter has been revamped because we weren't too happy at how it turned out. Therefore, version two is uploaded for your reading pleasure. Chapter 4 is going to be released soon so stay tuned.


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